Efficacy of BCG Vaccination Depends on Host Genetics

We studied the effectiveness of anti-tuberculosis vaccination with BCG in mice of inbred strains and F1 hybrids (highly resistant to tuberculosis infection) that represent a wide range of genetically determined differences in susceptibility to infection with virulent Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The greatest relative effect was found in susceptible mice, with the exception of highly susceptible I/St mice that were practically not protected by vaccination. Despite significant effect of vaccination in inbred mice, their resistance to M. tuberculosis infection did not exceed that of non-vaccinated highly resistant F1 hybrids.