Investigations of TB vaccine-induced mucosal protection in mice.

A better understanding of mucosal immunity is required to develop more protective vaccines against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. We developed a murine aerosol challenge model to investigate responses capable of protecting against mucosal infection. Mice received vaccinations intranasally with CpG-adjuvanted antigen 85B (Ag85B/CpG) and/or Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG).

A recombinant adenovirus expressing immunodominant TB antigens can significantly enhance BCG-induced human immunity.

Background: Despite the availability of Bacille Calmette Guérin (BCG) vaccines, Mycobacterium tuberculosis currently infects billions of people and millions die annually from tuberculosis (TB) disease. New TB vaccines are urgently needed.

Methods: We studied the ability of AERAS-402, a recombinant, replication-deficient adenovirus type 35 expressing the protective M.