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Background H56:IC31 is a candidate vaccine against tuberculosis (TB) with the potential to reduce TB recurrence rate. It is thus important for future clinical trials to demonstrate safety and immunogenicity of H56:IC31 in individuals treated for TB. Methods Twenty-two adults confirmed to be Mycobacterium tuberculosis negative (by 2 GeneXpert tests or 2 sputum cultures) after 4–5 months of TB treatment, and not more than 28 days after completion of TB treatment, were randomized to receive 2 doses of H56:IC31 (5 mg H56:500 nmol IC31; n = 16) or placebo (n = 6) 56 days apart. Participants were followed for 420 days for safety and immunogenicity. Results H56:IC31 vaccination was associated with an acceptable safety profile, consisting mostly of mild self-limited injection site reactions. No serious adverse events or vaccine-related severe adverse events were reported. H56:IC31 induced a CD4+ T-cell response for Ag85B and ESAT-6, with ESAT-6 being immunodominant, which persisted through 6 months after the last vaccination. There was some evidence of CD8+ T-cell responses for both Ag85B and ESAT-6, but to a lesser extent than CD4+ responses. Conclusions H56:IC31 was associated with an acceptable safety profile, and induced a predominant CD4+ T-cell response, in adults recently treated for drug-susceptible, uncomplicated pulmonary TB. Clinical Trials Registration NCT02375698. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection remains an important concern for the Military Health System (MHS). This report updates numbers and incidence rates of HCV infection of U.S. military service members and MHS beneficiaries, incorporating a surveillance period before and after 2012 screening policy changes for military members. From 2008 to 2016, there were 342 and 1,491 incident cases of acute and chronic hepatitis C, respectively, among active component members of the U.S. Armed Forces; crude overall incidence rates during the period were 2.8 (acute) and 12.2 (chronic) cases per 100,000 person-years. Annual incidence rates of chronic hepatitis C decreased over the surveillance period; however, rates of acute hepatitis C remained steady. There were 141 acute and 587 chronic incident cases among reserve/guard service members, with annual counts of both acute and chronic cases decreasing over the surveillance period. In addition, there were 2,541 acute and 21,418 chronic cases among non-service member beneficiaries, with annual counts of acute and chronic cases also decreasing steadily over the surveillance period. Given recent pharmaceutical advances in treatment, screening and linkage to care are critical to improving health outcomes for those with HCV infection.