Abstract
Mycobacterium microti, the vole bacillus, which was used as a live vaccine against tuberculosis until the 1970s, confers the same protection in humans as does Mycobacterium bovis bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG). However, because the efficacy of the BCG vaccine varies considerably, we have tried to develop a better vaccine by reintroducing into M. microti the complete region of difference 1 (RD1), which is required for secretion of the potent T cell antigens early secreted antigen target (ESAT)-6 and culture filtrate protein (CFP)-10. The resultant recombinant strain, M. microti OV254::RD1-2F9, induced specific ESAT-6 and CFP-10 immune responses in mice with CD8+ T lymphocytes that had strong expression of the CD44hi activation marker. This vaccine also displayed better efficacy against disseminated disease in the mouse and the guinea pig models of tuberculosis than was seen in animals vaccinated with M. microti alone or with BCG. The M. microti OV254: :RD1-2F9 vaccine was less virulent and persistent in mice and than was BCG::RD1-2F9 may represent a safer alternative to BCG::RD1-2F9.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 115-122 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Journal of Infectious Diseases |
| Volume | 190 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Jul 2004 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:Received 15 October 2003; accepted 29 December 2003; electronically published 4 June 2004. Presented in part: Keystone Symposia, Tuberculosis: Integrating Host and Pathogen Biology, Taos, NM, 25–30 January 2003 (poster 212). Financial support: European Community (grant CT-1999-01093); Association Franc¸aise Raoul Follereau; Institut Pasteur (grant PTR 110/2002). Reprints or correspondence: Dr. Stewart Cole, Unité de Génétique Moléculaire Bactérienne, 28 rue du Docteur Roux, 75724 Paris, Cedex 15, France (stcole@ pasteur.fr).
