The Role of Antibodies in the Defense Against Tuberculosis

Bacille Calmette Guerin (BCG) is effective to prevent miliary and meningeal TB in infants [1]. The reports about the efficacy of this vaccine for the prevention of adults pulmonary TB are contradictory and the consensus is that the protection conferred by BCG against this form of TB is questionable [1]. The wide use of BCG vaccination has been unable to prevent nearly two million deaths associated with TB that are produced every year. Currently the World Health Organization no longer recommends BCG vaccination in children born from HIVpositive mothers which complicate the implementation of BCG vaccination programs [2]. The imple‐ mentation of standard drug treatment for TB is difficult in the areas of the highest incidence of the disease. Treatment is further complicated by the limited effectiveness of the current therapeutic schemes against drug resistant strains of TB [3-5].