Simple, practical ways to assess the protective efficacy of a new tuberculosis vaccine.
There is strong evidence that tuberculin sensitivity cannot be used to evaluate the efficacy of different strains of bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG). For identifying efficacious strains of BCG and evaluating candidates for new vaccines, the best method is a randomized trial. Simple trials in which newborns would be vaccinated with new and old vaccines in alternate years could demonstrate which vaccine was the better.
Comstock
G W
GW
Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA. gcomstock@mindspring.com.
D000293:Adolescent; D000818:Animals; D001500:BCG Vaccine / Q000276:immunology; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines / Q000276:immunology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D015269:Mycobacterium avium Complex / Q000276:immunology; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000276:immunology; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014611:Vaccination
D001500:BCG Vaccine; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines