Table_3_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）被认定为重要结核病（TB）储存宿主，具备将感染传播至相关牛群的可能性。近期在西班牙的研究表明，使用热灭活牛分支杆菌疫苗（HIMB）进行疫苗接种，能够有效保护圈养野猪和红鹿免受渐进性疾病的影响。本研究旨在评估两种针对TB的口服疫苗在獾模型中的有效性：即活减毒牛分支杆菌疫苗Calmette-Guérin BCG（丹麦株）以及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）以及未接种疫苗的对照组（n = 12）。所有獾均通过支气管内途径，靶向右侧中肺叶，实验性感染了牛分支杆菌（103 CFU）。在整个研究过程中，对感染的獾的临床、免疫学、病理学和细菌学参数进行了测量。两种疫苗均能够为獾提供对实验性TB的保护，表现为减轻感染严重程度和减少病灶体积。基于这些数据，HIMB疫苗接种在流行国家作为獾的TB口服疫苗候选方案，展现出极大的潜力。