Table_2_Protective Effect of Oral BCG and Inactivated Mycobacterium bovis Vaccines in European Badgers (Meles meles) Experimentally Infected With M. bovis.XLSX

In Europe, badgers (Meles meles) are recognized as major tuberculosis (TB) reservoir hosts with the potential to transmit infection to associated cattle herds. Recent studies in Spain have demonstrated that vaccination with a heat-inactivated Mycobacterium bovis vaccine (HIMB) successfully protects captive wild boar and red deer against progressive disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of two oral vaccines against TB in a badger model: the live-attenuated M. bovis bacillus Calmette-Guérin BCG vaccine (Danish strain) and a HIMB vaccine. Twenty-four badgers were separated in three treatment groups: oral vaccinated with live BCG (108 CFU, n = 5), oral vaccinated with HIMB (107 CFU, n = 7), and unvaccinated controls (n = 12). All badgers were experimentally infected with M. bovis (103 CFU) by the endobronchial route targeting the right middle lung lobe. Throughout the study, clinical, immunological, pathological, and bacteriological parameters of infection were measured. Both vaccines conferred protection against experimental TB in badger, as measured by a reduction of the severity and lesion volumes. Based on these data, HIMB vaccination appears to be a promising TB oral vaccine candidate for badgers in endemic countries.

在欧洲，獾（Meles meles）被视为结核病（TB）的主要储存宿主，具有向相关牛群传播感染的可能性。近期在西班牙的研究表明，接种经热灭活的牛分枝杆菌疫苗（HIMB）能够有效保护圈养野猪和红鹿免受疾病进展。本研究旨在评估两种针对TB的口服疫苗在獾模型中的效力：活减毒牛分枝杆菌疫苗（Calmette-Guérin BCG，丹麦菌株）和HIMB疫苗。将24只獾分为三个治疗组：口服接种活BCG（108 CFU，n = 5）、口服接种HIMB（107 CFU，n = 7）以及未接种的对照组（n = 12）。所有獾通过支气管内途径实验感染牛分枝杆菌（103 CFU），以目标右侧中间肺叶。在整个研究过程中，监测了感染的临床、免疫学、病理学和细菌学参数。两种疫苗均能对实验性TB在獾中提供保护，如通过减轻疾病严重程度和病变体积得以体现。基于这些数据，HIMB疫苗接种在流行国家被视为獾的TB口服疫苗候选方案。