A Multistage Subunit Vaccine Effectively Protects Mice Against Primary Progressive Tuberculosis, Latency and Reactivation

Adult tuberculosis (TB) is the main cause of TB epidemic and death. The infection results mainly by endogenous reactivation of latent TB infection and secondarily transmitted by exogenous infection. There is no vaccine for adult TB. To this end, we first chose antigens from a potential antigenic reservoir. The antigens strongly recognized T cells from latent and active TB infections that responded to antigens expressed by Mycobacterium tuberculosis cultured under different metabolic states. Fusions of single-stage polyprotein CTT3H, two-stage polyprotein A1D4, and multistage CMFO were constructed. C57BL/6 mice vaccinated with DMT adjuvant ed CMFO (CMFO-DMT) were protected more significantly than by CTT3H-DMT, and efficacy was similar to that of the only licensed vaccine, Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) and A1D4-DMT in the M. tuberculosis primary infection model. In the setting of BCG priming and latent TB infection, M. tuberculosis in the lung and spleen was eliminated more effectively in mice boosted with CMFO-DMT rather than with BCG, A1D4-DMT, or CTT3H-DMT. In particular, sterile immunity was only conferred by CMFO-DMT, which was associated with expedited homing of interferon-gamma⁺CD4⁺ T_EM and interleukin-2⁺ T_CM cells from the spleen to the infected lung. CMFO-DMT represents a promising candidate to prevent the occurrence of adult TB through both prophylactic and therapeutic methods, and warrants assessment in preclinical and clinical trials.

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