Plant-Based Ingredient Could Lead to Improved Tuberculosis Vaccine – Uoguelph.ca

January 23, 2017

The tuberculosis (TB) vaccine hasn’t changed much since it was first used on humans almost a century ago, yet the disease is still prevalent in Canada’s aboriginal communities and in developing countries.

In Canada, the TB vaccine is only recommended for those who live or work in high-risk areas for TB transmission. The vaccine is only 51 per cent effective against preventing any type of TB infection, according to the Government of Canada’s Immunization Guide.

“It’s not effective anymore, especially in adults,” says University of Guelph chemistry professor Mario Monteiro. “It’s not even used now in North America.”

Monteiro is working on a new — and hopefully more effective — type of TB vaccine that uses a plant-based ingredient to trigger an immune response in the body.

Read More: http://news.uoguelph.ca/2017/01/plant-based-ingredient-lead-improved-tuberculosis-vaccine/