title: Vaccination against tuberculosis.
abstract: Recent findings in mice have changed our perception of how protective immunity works in tuberculosis and hold promise for the rapid development of new vaccines. For example, we now know: (1) that a single mycobacterial protein antigen can be sufficient to generate powerful protective immunity, provided that it is presented to the immune system in the right way; (2) that the expression of protection depends on cytotoxic antigen-specific T cells; (3) that the identity of the antigen may be less important than the mode of presentation, and (4) that injection of DNA encoding the antigen (DNA vaccination) is a superior way of raising protective immunity compared to injection of the antigen itself. These advances are timely because there is an urgent need for a new vaccine against tuberculosis. There continue to be about 3 million deaths from tuberculosis every year worldwide and increasingly the causative bacteria are multidrug resistant.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Mycobacterial Research, National Institute for Medical Research, London, UK.
authors.forename: D B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Lowrie
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Tascon
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Silva
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology; D001500:BCG Vaccine / Q000276:immunology; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007109:Immunity; D051379:Mice; D009163:Mycobacterium bovis / Q000276:immunology; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014611:Vaccination
chemical_list: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D001500:BCG Vaccine; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial