Vaccination Strategies and Immune Responses in Bovine Tuberculosis
Summary
Bovine tuberculosis, caused primarily by Mycobacterium bovis, poses a persistent threat to livestock productivity, wildlife health and public health. Vaccination strategies centre on live-attenuated Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) and novel derivatives, prime–boost regimens using viral vectors, and inactivated formulations aimed at balancing safety, efficacy and diagnostic compatibility. Live BCG confers partial protection through induction of cell-mediated immunity characterised by T-helper 1 responses, granuloma formation and interferon gamma release, but may interfere with the tuberculin skin test. Recombinant strains such as VPM1002 and targeted antigen-boosting approaches have shown enhanced antigen presentation, stronger T-cell activation and improved safety profiles in livestock models. Delivery routes, including subcutaneous, oral and intranasal, influence the magnitude and localisation of mucosal and systemic immune responses. Recent advances in immunological assays, transcriptomic profiling and transmission modelling inform correlates of protection and herd-level efficacy. Overcoming challenges of diagnostic interference, wildlife reservoirs and practical deployment in diverse settings remains key to translating these strategies into large-scale disease control and mitigation.
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Vaccination Strategies and Immune Responses in Bovine Tuberculosis publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in vaccination strategies and immune responses in bovine tuberculosis across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG): live-attenuated vaccine strain of Mycobacterium bovis used to induce protective immunity.
Recombinant BCG VPM1002: genetically modified BCG expressing listeriolysin to enhance antigen presentation and T-cell activation.
Interferon gamma (IFN-γ): key cytokine produced by Th1 cells that activates macrophages and promotes intracellular pathogen clearance.
Granuloma: organised aggregate of immune cells that walls off mycobacterial infection sites in host tissues.
Herd immunity: indirect protection of unvaccinated individuals resulting from reduced pathogen transmission within a vaccinated population.
References
- BCG vaccination reduces bovine tuberculosis transmission, improving prospects for elimination. Science (2024).
- Safety and Immunogenicity of Recombinant Bacille Calmette-Guérin Strain VPM1002 and Its Derivatives in a Goat Model. International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2023).
- Vaccination of calves with Mycobacterium bovis Bacillus Calmette–Guerin reduces the frequency and severity of lesions of bovine tuberculosis under a natural transmission setting in Ethiopia. Transboundary and Emerging Diseases (2017).
- A Meta-Analysis of the Effect of Bacillus Calmette-Guérin Vaccination Against Bovine Tuberculosis: Is Perfect the Enemy of Good?. Frontiers in Veterinary Science (2021).
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