Review Article
Tuberculosis Vaccines: Review of Current Development Trends and Future Challenges
Andrew J. Graves and David A. Hokey*
Aeras, Rockville, MD, USA
- *Corresponding Author:
- David A. Hokey
Aeras, 1405 Research Boulevard, Ste 110
Rockville, MD 20850, USA
Tel: 240-599-3077
E-mail: dhokey@aeras.org
Received Date: August 14, 2011; Accepted Date: November 18, 2011; Published Date: November 22, 2011
Citation: Graves AJ, Hokey DA (2011) Tuberculosis Vaccines: Review of Current Development Trends and Future Challenges. J Bioterr Biodef S1:009. doi:10.4172/2157-2526.S1-009
Copyright: © 2011 Graves AJ, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Abstract
Despite plaguing humans for thousands of years, tuberculosis remains a widespread and lethal public health
problem throughout the world today. The recent rise of multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) perpetuates the public health threat while presenting a potential bioterrorism agent. The BCG vaccine is the only available prevention against TB, yet it elicits inconsistent protection when given to infants, fails to provide consistent protection in adults against pulmonary disease, and is unsafe for use in immunocompromised patients. A new crop of TB vaccine candidates has entered into clinical trials, with a second generation following shortly. These new TB vaccines are hoped to provide a safe, efficacious replacement, or addition to, the nearly century-old BCG and provide protection against TB disease beyond childhood. This review details the status of the most promising TB vaccine candidates in development, as one of these candidates may play a key role in defending against an ominous health threat.
