Canadian Researchers Develop New Tuberculosis Vaccine
Author: tiger Published Under: Health
Researchers in Canada have recently announced a clinical trial for a new vaccine aimed at preventing tuberculosis.
The vaccine, which was developed at McMaster University, will be tested on healthy 48 individuals, who will then be monitored to determine the effectiveness and safety of the vaccine.
The researchers at McMaster used the virus that is responsible for the common cold and inserted a portion of the tuberculosis gene into the virus, which should have the effect of creating a safe natural way of building tuberculosis immunity. The vaccine has already been tested on animals and appears to be safe.
Some History:
Tuberculosis is a airborne disease that is typically spread when infected individuals cough, sneeze, or spit. It is often deadly and usually attacks the lungs, resulting in a very serious cough and often bloody cough. While tuberculosis can be treated, it is often a very difficult process that relies and large doses of antibiotics. It is ranked as the second largest infectious killer in the World, second only to HIV.
In the US, there are approximately 25,000 new cases of tuberculosis reported every year, with between 5% and 10% of the population testing positive for tuberculosis. In other areas these numbers are much larger, with some developing African countries having a tuberculosis rate of over 80%.
Currently the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine is one of the most common vaccines used to prevent tuberculosis. This vaccine was developed in the early 1900’s and first used in humans in 1921. However, some countries, like the United States, do not use the BCG vaccine on a large scale and instead test for and treat tuberculosis as it arises.
While the BCG is common, the effectiveness of the vaccine has been a source of controversy. It was found to be between 60% and 80% effective by clinical trials in Europe, but subsequent studies found it to not be effective at all at preventing tuberculosis.
Some of the differences in the effectiveness of the BCG vaccine have been attributed to genetic variations, exposure to tuberculosis, and interference by other infections. However, the exact reason is unknown.
Due to its questionable effectiveness, researchers have been trying to develop a better vaccine for some time. In 2004, researchers in the United States developed a new tuberculosis vaccine and since then, several others have followed, with the most recent vaccine developed at McMaster University in Canada.