Loss of anti-mycobacterial efficacy in mice over time following vaccination with Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guérin

Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) is the most often used vaccine worldwide and sole vaccine against tuberculosis. BCG is protective against severe form of childhood tuberculosis but less or not protective to adult pulmonary tuberculosis. Therefore, improved vaccination strategies and development of new tuberculosis vaccines are urgent demands. For those purposes, appropriate animal models that reflect human are critically useful. However, in animal models, BCG vaccination protects well against subsequent challenge of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In this study we evaluated the duration of protective efficacy of the BCG vaccination in mice over time and found that efficacy was diminished 40 weeks after vaccination. The aged mice older than 45 weeks are protected sufficiently after the vaccination with BCG, suggesting that loss of its efficacy is not dependent on the age of mice but rather depends on the period from vaccination. The loss of protection occurred in TH1 polarized STAT6 deficient mice despite the maintenance of interferon (IFN)-gamma production activity of lymph node cells and splenic CD4+ T cells against M. tuberculosis antigens. Our data suggest that the duration from vaccination may explain the variation in BCG efficacy against adult pulmonary tuberculosis.

► We found that BCG efficacy wanes over time following vaccination in mice.
► Elimination of vaccinated BCG and age of mice are independent of vaccine efficacy.
► Loss of protection is independent of reduction of TH1 immune response.
► Loss of BCG-vaccine efficacy depends on the period from vaccination.
► Time from vaccination may explain low efficacy of BCG against adult tuberculosis.