PNAS: The Bacillus tuberculosis vaccine is beneficial for the elderly and diabetics.

August 11, 2020 /--- -- A recent study of older mice with type 2 diabetes offered promising results for the development of a new TB vaccine.
group of researchers from Australia, Bangladesh and France studied the protective effect of a vaccine called "BCG:: RD1" on lung infections in diabetic mice, and showed that it was highly protective.
, TB is one of the top ten causes of death worldwide and the leading cause of a single source of infection, according to the World Health Organization.
only licensed vaccine, BCG, is currently not available to adults.
"Type 2 diabetes is not only an important risk factor for TB, but it is becoming more common every year in our aging population, so this finding has positive implications for TB prevention," said lead author Dr. Andreas Kupz of the study at www.pixabay.com.
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AITHM researcher Harindra Sathkumara said that when given to older diabetic mice, BCG:: RD1 has been shown to be highly protective, acting not only on T cells but also on other immune cell substations, resulting in a strong response to TB-causing bacteria.
observed significant anti-TB protection and a significant increase in the immune response in the lungs of diabetic mice," he said.
by comparing the responses of older mice and younger mice, we also looked at how type 2 diabetes increases the risk of TB.
that type 2 diabetes has a negative effect on how our immune system senses TB bacteria in our lungs, and that the BCG:: RD1 vaccine can overcome this deficiency.
makes BCG:: RD1 a promising candidate for further research as a vaccine for the elderly and people with type 2 diabetes.
future study, the team aims to further study specific immune pathways for BCG:: RD1 vaccine activation.
Kupz said drug-resistant TB remains a public health crisis, so developing new vaccines is particularly important.
"That's why at AITHM we work with Australians and international partners to develop and test potential new vaccines and improve the effectiveness of existing therapies."
results were published recently in the journal PNAS.
(bioon.com) Source: Tuberis vaccine research can benefit the elderly and diabetics Original source: Harindra D. Sathkumara el al., "Mucosal delivery of ESX-1 -expressing BCG strains provides a benefit of the superior i againstculosis in m m type 2 diabetes," PNAS (2020).