Novel approaches to tuberculosis vaccine development

- New vaccines for tuberculosis are urgently needed to control this devastating disease.
- Several novel vaccine candidates have entered clinical trials.
- Candidates comprise subunit vaccines and whole-cell vaccines.
- Candidates target mostly prevention of disease; some also target prevention of infection.
- Some candidates target unexposed individuals, and others target exposed individuals.

SummaryTuberculosis (TB) remains the deadliest infectious disease. The widely used bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine offers only limited protection against TB. New vaccine candidates for TB include subunit vaccines and inactivated whole-cell vaccines, as well as live mycobacterial vaccines. Current developments in TB vaccines are summarized in this review.