Vaccination against Tuberculosis: Current Status and Future Promise

Tuberculosis remains a major health threat. The currently available vaccine, bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG), provides insufficient protection, and multi-drug-resistant strains are on the rise. A novel vaccine with higher efficacy is needed for satisfactory control of the disease. Currently, several novel vaccine candidates are being tested in preclinical models with promising outcome, but none with overwhelming success. The final decision as to whether an efficacious vaccine can be designed will have to await the outcome of a clinical trial comprising the most promising candidates identified by experimental animal studies.

KEYWORDS

Tuberculosis - vaccination - BCG - T lymphocyte - granuloma - correlate of protection - attenuation

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