As the natural route of infection with tuberculosis is through inhalation of droplets into the lungs, this study, which delivers BCG by the same route, is hoped to be better at stimulating the immune system.
Prof Helen McShane Chief Investigator, TB Vaccine Trials Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, said:
'TB kills more people than any other infectious disease and we urgently need better vaccines. This important new study will help us to see whether giving BCG more than once stimulates a stronger immune response and whether giving it by inhalation is better than giving it into the skin. Small studies like these are really important to help us understand the immune response in people and allow us to design and test better vaccines.
This study will also explore whether giving people with Type 2 Diabetes BCG in the skin stimulates as strong an immune response as giving BCG in the skin to healthy people without diabetes. We know that people with type 2 diabetes are more likely to get TB and part of this may be because the BCG vaccine does not work as well in this group.'