Lost Genes May Be Causing TB Vaccine's Failure

This stalwart of the global campaign against TB may no longer work, and Stanford University researchers in California have discovered a possible reason why: the bacteria used to make the vaccine have jettisoned some of their genes. The discovery could guide the development of an up-to-date vaccine as well as a more accurate diagnostic test for the disease.

The TB vaccine, known as BCG, or bacille Calmette-Guerin, is one of the most widely used vaccines in the world. More than 1 billion people have received it, and an additional 100 million are vaccinated each year. "The vaccine is...

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