BCG Vaccines

Abstract

BCG is the collective name for a family of live attenuated strains of Mycobacterium bovis that are currently used as the only vaccine against tuberculosis (TB). There are two major reasons for studying the genome of these organisms: (i) Because they are attenuated, BCG vaccines provide a window into Mycobacterium tuberculosis virulence, and (ii) because they have provided protection in several clinical trials and case-control studies, BCG vaccines may shed light on properties required of a TB vaccine. Since the determination of the M. tuberculosis genome in 1998, the study of BCG vaccines has accelerated dramatically, offering data on the genomic differences between virulent M. tuberculosis, M. bovis, and the vaccine strains. While these findings have been rewarding for the study of virulence, there is unfortunately less accrued knowledge about protection. In this chapter, we review briefly the history of BCG vaccines and then touch upon studies over the past two decades that help explain how BCG underwent attenuation, concluding with some more speculative comments as to how these vaccines might offer protection against TB.