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Tuberculosis Vaccines

Researchers at the Wallaceville Animal Research Centre are developing and evaluating tuberculosis vaccines for cattle, deer and possibly possums.

The study involves identifying the genetic material which enables the Mycobacterium bovis microorganism to cause tuberculosis. Vaccines could be developed by deleting specific DNA segments from M. bovis.

Cattle and possums are being experimentally infected with tuberculosis, with the hope of developing models to evaluate the vaccines and to provide an understanding of the development of the disease.

Additional benefits of this research may include improved diagnostic tests for cattle and deer, and a more accurate assessment of the spread of tuberculosis in the possum population. These studies may also reveal defects in the immune system of possums which could be exploited in their biological control.