A practical in vitro growth inhibition assay for the evaluation of TB vaccines

New vaccines and novel immunization strategies are needed to improve the control of the global tuberculosis epidemic. To facilitate vaccine development, we have been creating in vitro mycobacterial intra-macrophage growth inhibition assays. Here we describe the development of an in vitro assay designed for BSL-2 laboratories which measures the capacity of vaccine-induced immune splenocytes to control the growth of isoniazid-resistant Mycobacterium bovis BCG (INH(r) BCG). The use of the INH(r) BCG as the infecting organism allows the discrimination of BCG bacilli used in murine vaccinations from BCG used in the in vitro assay. In this study, we showed that protective immune responses evoked by four different types of Mycobacterium tuberculosis vaccines [BCG, an ESAT6/Antigen 85B fusion protein formulated in DDA/MPL adjuvant, a DNA vaccine expressing the same fusion protein, and a TB Modified Vaccinia Ankara construct expressing four TB antigens (MVA-4TB)] were detected. Importantly, the levels of vaccine-induced protective immunity seen in the in vitro assay correlated with the results from in vivo protection studies in the mouse model of pulmonary tuberculosis. Furthermore, the growth inhibition data for the INH(r) BCG assay was similar to the previously reported results for a M. tuberculosis infection assay. The cytokine expression profiles at day 7 of the INH(r) BCG growth inhibition studies were also similar but not identical to the cytokine patterns detected in earlier M. tuberculosis co-culture assays. Overall, we have shown that a BSL-2 compatible in vitro growth inhibition assay using INH(r) BCG as the intra-macrophage target organism should be useful in developing and evaluating new TB immunization strategies.