Vaccination of White-Tailed Deer with Mycobacterium bovis Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG): Effect of Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis Infection.

In many parts of the world, bovine tuberculosis eradication efforts are hampered by wildlife reservoirs of , which serve as a constant source of for nearby cattle. The human tuberculosis vaccine, BCG has been investigated for use in several wildlife species, including deer. In the US, white-tailed deer in Michigan have been the source of infection for over 82 cattle herds since was discovered in free-ranging deer in 1995. The efficacy of BCG may be influenced by many factors, including prior exposure or infection with non-tuberculous mycobacteria, that is, species other than members of the complex. subspecies () infection is not uncommon in ruminants such as deer. Using natural exposure to and experimental infection with we demonstrate that infection increased BCG vaccine efficacy as measured by lesion severity scores.