Harvard College

Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Samantha Sampson

William R Jacobs, Jr

Barry R Bloom

Mary K Hondalus

Vasan Sambandamurthy

Non-naturally occurring mycobacteria in thecomplex are provided. These mycobacteria have a deletion of an RD1 region or a region controlling production of a vitamin, and exhibit attenuated virulence in a mammal when compared to the mycobacteria without the deletion. Also provided are non-naturally occurring mycobacteria that have a deletion of a region controlling production of lysine, and mycobacteria comprising two attenuating deletions. Vaccines comprising these mycobacteria are also provided, as are methods of protecting mammals from virulent mycobacteria using the vaccines. Also provided are methods of preparing these vaccines which include the step of deleting an RD1 region or a region controlling production of a vitamin or the amino acids leucine and lysine from a mycobacterium in thecomplex. Embodiments of these mycobacteria, vaccines and methods, encompassing mycobacteria comprising a leucine auxotrophy and a pantothenate auxotrophy, are also provided.

Growing community of inventors

Brookline, MA, United States of America

Samantha Sampson