Oral Delivery of Mycobacterium bovis BCG in a Lipid Formulation Induces Resistance to Pulmonary Tuberculosis in Mice

A lipid-based formulation has been developed for oral delivery of Mycobacterium bovis bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine. The formulated M. bovis BCG was fed to BALB/c mice to test for immune responses and protection against M. bovis infection. The immune responses included antigen-specific cytokine responses, spleen cell proliferation, and lymphocyte-mediated macrophage inhibition of M. bovis. Oral delivery of formulated M. bovis BCG to mice induced strong splenic gamma interferon levels and macrophage inhibition of virulent M. bovis compared with results with nonformulated M. bovis BCG. Formulated oral M. bovis BCG significantly reduced the bacterial burden in the spleen and lungs of mice following aerosol challenge with virulent M. bovis. Our data suggest that oral delivery of formulated M. bovis BCG is an effective means of inducing protective immune responses against tuberculosis. Lipid-based, orally delivered mycobacterial vaccines may be a safe and practical method of controlling tuberculosis in humans and animals.