A coordinated strategy for evaluating new vaccines for human and animal tuberculosis

There is a remarkable convergence in the current efforts to develop and eva luate new tuberculosis (TB) vaccine candidates for use in humans, domestic animals, and wild animal reservoirs. It is quite likely that similar vaccin ation strategies will prove useful in these diverse host species. Many TB v accine candidates are being screened for protective efficacy in conventiona l laboratory animals (e.g. mouse, guinea pig), in captive wild species unde r laboratory conditions (e.g. brushtail possum), and in the target hosts (e .g, cattle, deer). These systems share some important features, e.g. direct challenge infection of the lung by intratracheal or aerosol exposure, and the use of bacterial enumeration, and gross and microscopic histopathology, as the readouts. Some TB vaccine candidates have been tested in many model s, yielding important insights into common mechanisms of resistance to Myco bacterium tuberculosis and M. bovis, and providing evidence of the vaccine' s ability to induce protection under widely different circumstances. Coordi nation of this global search for better TB vaccines, irrespective of target species, would facilitate the rapid application of new technologies and ma ximize the sharing of materials and experiences between human and veterinar y TB researchers. The creation of liaisons between TB vaccine research effo rts of government-sponsored medical and agricultural research programs, int ernational bodies such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Europ ean Community IEC), private foundations and the vaccine industry, will yiel d a high return. (C) 2001 Harcourt Publishers Ltd.