Enhanced protective efficacy of a tuberculosis DNA vaccine by adsorption onto cationic PLG microparticles.

Immunization with plasmid DNA vectors represents a promising new approach to vaccination. It has been shown to elicit humoral and cellular immunity and protection in various infection models. Here, we assessed the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of a DNA vaccine vector encoding the antigen 85A (Ag85A) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Cultivation of Mycobacterium bovis BCG in bioreactors.

The Mycobacterium bovis BCG vaccine for commercial use is classically produced as surface pellicles by culture on synthetic medium. Under these conditions, reproducibility of the cultures and quality assessment are hampered by slow growth of the bacilli, the formation of bacterial aggregates and a high proportion of dead bacilli after processing and final formulation of the vaccine. Here, we established dispersed cultures of M.