A new vaccine to protect against tuberculosis is urgently needed. Nowhere is the need greater than for HIV-infected people, who face very high risks of developing TB. A clinical trial in Tanzania has found that a new TB vaccine reduced TB infection rates by 39% amongst 2,000 HIV-infected patients.

The seven-year trial - a collaboration between Dartmouth Medical School, USA and Muhimbili Medical School, Dar es Salaam - employed a whole cell vaccine of the organism Mycobacterium vaccae, closely related to M. tuberculosis the disease agent responsible for TB. Patients in the trial had already received the standard BCG vaccination for TB.

The trial - known as the DarDar Study (Dartmouth-Dar es Salaam) - has already created considerable interest. The next steps are to improve manufacturing methods to support the production of the larger quantities of the vaccine needed for further studies and subsequent clinical use. Development work on manufacturing will be conducted by the Aeras Global TB Vaccine Foundation in Maryland, USA, in conjunction with the London-based manufacturer, Immodulon Therapeutics.

Reference
1. von Reyn CF, Mtei L, Arbeit RD, Waddell R, Cole B, Mackenzie T, Matee M, Bakari M, Tvaroha S, Adams LV, Horsburgh CR, Pallangyo K; the DarDar Study Group (2010). Prevention of tuberculosis in Bacille Calmette-Guérin-primed, HIV-infected adults boosted with an inactivated whole-cell mycobacterial vaccine. AIDS; 2010 Jan 28. [Epub ahead of print]