New vaccines against tuberculosis. The status of current research

Abstract

The increasing realization that the current vaccine for tuberculosis, bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG), is of varying effectiveness, and is less protective in adults than in children, has prompted new research for a replacement. New research has resulted in innovative approaches, including the use of sub-unit vaccines, auxotropic vaccines, DNA vaccines, and recombinant vaccines, among others. This article reviews these approaches and test results in animal models, and discusses their potential for use in humans.