Tuberculosis vaccines

Tuberculosis vaccines are vaccines that prevent tuberculosis. The most commonly used vaccine is the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine. Other tuberculosis vaccines are under development.

Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine

The Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine has been in use since 1921. It is the most widely used vaccine worldwide, with more than 90% of all children being vaccinated. The BCG vaccine is administered to over 100 million newborns each year.

The BCG vaccine is derived from a strain of Mycobacterium bovis, a type of bacteria closely related to Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacteria that causes tuberculosis. The BCG vaccine is not completely effective in preventing tuberculosis, but it significantly reduces the risk of severe forms of the disease in children.

New tuberculosis vaccines

Several new tuberculosis vaccines are currently under development. These include:

• Subunit vaccines: These vaccines use specific parts of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria to stimulate an immune response. Examples include the M72/AS01E vaccine and the H56:IC31 vaccine.

• Viral vector vaccines: These vaccines use a virus to deliver Mycobacterium tuberculosis genes into cells to stimulate an immune response. Examples include the AERAS-402 vaccine and the TB/FLU-04L vaccine.

• Whole cell vaccines: These vaccines use whole, inactivated Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria to stimulate an immune response. An example is the MTBVAC vaccine.

See also

• Tuberculosis
• Vaccination
• Mycobacterium tuberculosis
• Mycobacterium bovis