Tuberculosis vaccines
Vaccines to prevent tuberculosis / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tuberculosis (TB) vaccines are vaccinations intended for the prevention of tuberculosis. Immunotherapy as a defence against TB was first proposed in 1890 by Robert Koch.[1] Today, the only effective tuberculosis vaccine in common use is the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine, first used on humans in 1921.[2] It consists of attenuated (weakened) strains of the cattle tuberculosis bacillus. It is recommended for babies in countries where tuberculosis is common.
About three out of every 10,000 people who get the vaccine experience side effects, which are usually minor except in severely immuno-depressed individuals. While BCG immunization provides fairly effective protection for infants and young children[3] (including defence against TB meningitis and miliary TB),[4][5] its efficacy in adults is variable,[6] ranging from 0% to 80%.[4][7] Several variables have been considered as responsible for the varying outcomes.[4] Demand for TB immunotherapy advancement exists because the disease has become increasingly drug-resistant.[1]
Other tuberculosis vaccines are at various stages of development, including:
- MVA85A, a viral vector vaccine that uses an MVA virus engineered to express a tuberculosis bacillus antigen in host cells. Human and animal trials were disappointing.
- rBCG30 is a version of the BCG vaccine engineered to express a higher amount of a certain antigen. It showed promise in animal tests in 2003[8] and phase I human trials in 2008.[9]
- MTBVAC,[10] an attenuated form of Myobacterium tuberculosis. Phase II trials were completed in 2021 and 2022; phase III trials began in 2022 and will run until 2029.[11][12]
- M72/AS01E, consisting of two fused tuberculosis bacillus protein antigens together with the adjuvant AS01. It is intended to prevent tuberculosis in people with a latent infection. Promising phase II trials were completed in 2018 and phase III trials are planned.[13]
New vaccines are being developed by the Tuberculosis Vaccine Initiative (TBVI).