Interleukin-15 as an immune adjuvant to increase the efficacy of Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guerin vaccination

Interleukin-15 (IL-15) transgenic mice which had been inoculated with Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) 24 weeks previously showed resistance against airborne infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv accompanied by an increased CD8(+)-Tcl-cell response. IL-15 may be used as an immune adjuvant given with BCG vaccination to enhance its biologic efficacy.