BCG (Bacille Calmette-Guérin) HspCs (heat-shock protein-peptide complexes) induce T-helper 1 responses and protect against live challenge in a murine aerosol challenge model of pulmonary tuberculosis.

The need for an effective TB (tuberculosis) vaccine remains acute, with tuberculosis still one of the major killers worldwide and 3 million new infections annually. We report here on the immune responses elicited by HspCs (heat-shock protein–peptide complexes) isolated from BCG (Bacille Calmette–Gu ´ erin) vaccine. These HspCs elicit both the appropriate cellular and protective immune responses required to merit their further development as TB vaccine candidates.