title: Influence of T-2 toxin on BCG vaccine efficacy against murine pulmonary tuberculosis.
abstract: Unvaccinated mice were treated with T-2 toxin either 6 days before or 1 day after exposure to aerosols of virulent Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Mice were also treated with T-2 toxin 6 days before vaccination with Mycobacterium bovis (BCG). There was a T-2 toxin mediated increase in the number of viable vaccine organisms recovered from the spleens of toxin-treated mice at 3 weeks after vaccination, and splenomegaly at post-vaccine weeks 3 through 5. At the seventh week after vaccination, toxin-treated vaccinated, toxin-treated non-vaccinated, vaccinated, and untreated mice were exposed to aerosols of viable M tuberculosis. The number of viable mycobacteria in the lungs was determined at weeks 3, 5, 7, and 9 after pulmonary infection. The number of viable tubercle bacilli recovered from the lungs of vaccinated mice was significantly lower than from unvaccinated mice. However, T-2 toxin-treatment did not alter the vaccine efficacy.
authors.affiliation: US Department of Agriculture, Veterinary Toxicology & Entomology Research Laboratory, College Station, TX 77841.
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Ziprin
authors.forename: D N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: McMurray
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001500:BCG Vaccine; D005260:Female; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D012717:Sesquiterpenes / Q000633:toxicity*; D013154:Spleen / Q000187:drug effects; D013605:T-2 Toxin / Q000633:toxicity*; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000517:prevention & control*
chemical_list: D001500:BCG Vaccine; D012717:Sesquiterpenes; D013605:T-2 Toxin