The use of animal models to guide rational vaccine design

Ian M Orme1

  • 1Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA. ian.orme@colostate.edu

Although there are several varieties of animal models of tuberculosis, the mouse and the guinea pig are by far the most validated and useful. These provide information about vaccine-induced protection, immunogenicity, toxicity, and immunopathological effects. There is still much to be learned, however, in terms of rational vaccine design, especially in the context of therapeutic or anti-latent vaccine formulations and animal models of these situations.