PLoS ONE (Jan 2017)

Multi-subunit BCG booster vaccine GamTBvac: Assessment of immunogenicity and protective efficacy in murine and guinea pig TB models.

  • A P Tkachuk,
  • V A Gushchin,
  • V D Potapov,
  • A V Demidenko,
  • V G Lunin,
  • A L Gintsburg

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0176784
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 12, no. 4
p. e0176784

Abstract

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New innovative vaccines are highly needed to combat the global threat posed by tuberculosis. Efficient components-antigens and adjuvants-are crucial for development of modern recombinant TB vaccines. This study describes a new vaccine (GamTBvac) consisting of two mycobacterial antigen fusions (Ag85A and ESAT6-CFP10)-with dextran-binding domain immobilized on dextran and mixed with an adjuvant consisting of DEAE-dextran core, and with CpG oligodeoxynucleotides (TLR9 agonists). GamTBvac and its components were assessed for immunogenicity and protective efficacy in GamTBvac-prime/boost and BCG-prime/ GamTBvac-boost in murine and guinea pig TB models. Results show that in both infectious models, GamTBvac has a strong immunogenicity and significant protective effect against Mycobacterium tuberculosis strain H37Rv under aerosol and intravenous challenges. GamTBvac showed a particularly strong protective effect as a BCG booster vaccine.