Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is one of the leading causes of childhood hospitalization and a major health burden worldwide. Unfortunately, because of an inefficient immunological memory, RSV infection provides limited immune protection against reinfection. Furthermore, RSV can induce an inadequate Th2-type immune response that causes severe respiratory tract inflammation and obstruction. It is thought that effective RSV clearance requires the induction of balanced Th1-type immunity, involving the activation of IFN-gamma-secreting cytotoxic T cells. A recognized inducer of Th1 immunity is Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), which has been used in newborns for decades in several countries as a tuberculosis vaccine. Here, we show that immunization with recombinant BCG strains expressing RSV antigens promotes protective Th1-type immunity against RSV in mice. Activation of RSV-specific T cells producing IFN-gamma and IL-2 was efficiently obtained after immunization with recombinant BCG. This type of T cell immunity was protective against RSV challenge and caused a significant reduction of inflammatory cell infiltration in the airways. Furthermore, mice immunized with recombinant BCG showed no weight loss and reduced lung viral loads. These data strongly support recombinant BCG as an efficient vaccine against RSV because of its capacity to promote protective Th1 immunity.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0806244105 | DOI Listing |
Small
January 2025
Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University, Cairns & Townsville, QLD, 4878 & 4811, Australia.
After more than a century since its initial development, Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) remains the only licensed vaccine against tuberculosis (TB). Subunit boosters are considered a viable strategy to enhance BCG efficacy, which often wanes in adolescence. While many studies on booster subunit vaccines have concentrated on recombinant proteins, here we developed a novel modular peptide-based subunit vaccine platform that is flexible, cold-chain independent and customizable to diverse circumstances and populations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBMC Infect Dis
December 2024
Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, PR China.
Background: This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of ESAT6-CFP10 (EC) skin test in healthy population and determine the factors influencing the booster effect.
Methods: We conducted a randomized, double-blind, parallel controlled trial in healthy population. The experiment was divided into two stages.
Eur J Pharm Sci
February 2025
Department of Infectious Diseases, LUCID, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), The Netherlands.
Tuberculosis (TB) remains a significant global health challenge, latently affecting around a quarter of the global population. The sole licensed TB vaccine, Mycobacterium bovis Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), shows variable efficacy, particularly among adolescents and adults, underscoring the pressing need for more effective vaccination strategies. The administration route is crucial for vaccine efficacy, and administration via the skin, being rich in immune cells, may offer advantages over conventional subcutaneous routes, which lack direct access to abundant antigen-presenting cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInfect Genet Evol
January 2025
Department of Life Sciences, Sharda School of Basic Sciences and Research, Sharda University, Knowledge Park III, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201306, India. Electronic address:
The BCG vaccine represents a significant milestone in the prevention of tuberculosis (TB), particularly in children. Researchers have been developing recombinant BCG (rBCG) variants that can trigger lasting memory responses, thereby enhancing protection against TB in adults. The breakdown of immune surveillance is a key link between TB and other communicable and non-communicable diseases.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFACS Infect Dis
January 2025
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas 75080, United States.
Tuberculosis is one of the deadliest infectious diseases and continues to be a major health risk in many parts of the world. Even today, the century-old Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine is the only formulation on the market and is ineffective for several sections of the global population responsible for transmission. In the search for antigens that can mount a robust immune response, we have reported the recombinant expression and purification of two novel membrane proteins, the Cation transporter protein V (CtpV) and the Mycobacterial copper transporter B (MctB) present on the membrane surface of .
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