New discovery gives tuberculosis vaccine a shot in the arm

A new article appearing in the March 2009 issue of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology may lead to improvements in the efficacy of the current tuberculosis vaccine. Specifically, a team of Italian researchers discovered a new role for type I interferon, in which it improves the ability of dendritic cells to stimulate an immune response against the bacterium known to cause tuberculosis. The researchers speculate that type I interferon may give the current vaccine the "boost" necessary to elicit a protective immunity against the mycobacterium tuberculosis.

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