Immunity and vaccination against tuberculosis in cattle

Bovine tuberculosis (TB) continues to be a major animal health problem worldwide and new tools are required for the control of this disease in cattle, particularly with the emergence of wildlife reservoirs for Mycobacterium bovis infection and potential restrictions on trade. New insights into the roles of macrophages, dendritic cells, NK cells and CD4+, CD8+ and γδ T cells in control of M. bovis infection in cattle have provided a better understanding of protective immunity against this disease. In the past two decades, considerable progress has been made in the development and evaluation of TB vaccines for cattle, with new attenuated mycobacterial vaccines providing an alternative to the use of BCG vaccine and sub-unit vaccines to boost protection induced by BCG. With the development of tests to differentiate infected from vaccinated animals, it is now the feasibility to use vaccines to assist in the control of this disease.