The ‘Behind the Headlines’ service from NHS Choices has published a quality assessment of press reports that a “new vaccine offers hope of a tuberculosis breakthrough” (reported by The Independent and others, 5th September 2011).

The assessment discusses the research behind the press reports, its results, and what this means in practice.  The laboratory research, published in the journal ‘Nature Medicine’, sought to develop a vaccine that could protect mice against the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb).  Researchers genetically engineered non-TB bacteria so they contained the ESX-3 genes, thought to be responsible for the high virulence of Mtb.  These modified bacteria were found to trigger an immune response that allowed the mice to fight off subsequent infection with the TB bacteria, without causing infection itself.

The authors of the assessment note that this is promising early research, but that further testing in mice is needed before this vaccine could be considered for testing in humans.  They conclude that the research was covered comprehensively and accurately by BBC news and The Independent gave a good review of the research; both highlight that it is not yet known whether this vaccine would work in humans.