Health
New TB vaccine advances
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Feb. 16, 2004
A new vaccine, made with several proteins from the bacterium that causes tuberculosis, will soon enter the first phase of human testing. It is the first TB vaccine tested in the United States in more than 60 years.
A recombinant vaccine, it combines two TB proteins known to stimulate strong human immune responses. The proteins were initially identified by screening blood taken from volunteers who never became ill with tuberculosis despite long-term infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The TB proteins were fused and then combined with adjuvants.
The currently available TB vaccine, BCG, offers some protection against the form of TB most often contracted by very young children. But the vaccine's effectiveness wears off over time. Also, BCG is not very effective against pulmonary TB, the most contagious form of the disease.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2004/02/16/hlbf0216.htm.
