New vaccines against tuberculosis
Mark Doherty, T.
Tropical Medicine and International Health Tm and Ih 9(7): 818-826
2004
ISSN/ISBN: 1360-2276 PMID: 15228493 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-3156.2004.01275.xDocument Number: 251604
The world is witnessing an escalation of the tuberculosis (TB) epidemic, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and South-east Asia. The problem has been compounded by the evolution of the HIV epidemic and the increase in multi-drug-resistant TB. This has led to renewed interest in vaccines aimed at preventing TB. The current Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine prevents the invasive complications of childhood TB, such as meningitis and miliary disease, but provides variable protection against adult pulmonary disease. This review discusses the history of BCG vaccine, the reasons for the variable efficacy, protective immunity and TB, and the evolution and obstacles to the development of new candidate vaccines. Several new TB vaccines have demonstrated promising results in animal models and some of these are currently entering clinical trials in humans and others will be soon, including here in South Africa.