Vaccination Strategies in a Potential Use of the Vaccine against Bovine Tuberculosis in Infected Herds

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Bovine tuberculosis is a chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium bovis characterized by the formation of tubercles in any organ or tissue. This disease affects various animal species and humans; therefore, it represents a significant veterinary and public health problem. Bovine tuberculosis control is based on the tuberculin test and the disposal of reactor animals. In underdeveloped countries, this strategy has not been successful due to the lack of economic resources to compensate producers for their slaughtered animals. Recently, it has been suggested to incorporate the Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) vaccine to reduce the disease prevalence by reducing the number of animals with lesions, the number of lesions per animal and bacterial load. Several experiments have shown the efficacy of different vaccine formulas against bovine tuberculosis. In Mexico, there is a growing interest, both from producers and authorities, to integrate the vaccine into current control programs, especially in dairy cattle, where the prevalence of the disease is high, and overcrowding favors the dissemination. ABSTRACT: Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is a disease of cattle that represents a risk to public health and causes severe economic losses to the livestock industry. Recently, one of the strategies recommended for reducing the prevalence of the disease in animals is the use of the BCG vaccine, alone or in combination with proteins. It has been shown that the vaccine elicits a strong immune response, downsizes the number of animals with visible lesions, and reduces the rate of infection as well as the bacillary count. This paper, based on scientific evidence, makes suggestions about some practical vaccination alternatives that can be used in infected herds to reduce bTB prevalence, considering BCG strains, vaccine doses, routes of application, and age of the animals. Our conclusion is that vaccination is a promising alternative to be included in current control programs in underdeveloped countries to reduce the disease burden.