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Abstract T uberculosis is an ancient disease, caused mainly by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which was identified and described at 1882 by Robert Koch. One third of the world population is infected with T.B. In 2014, there were an estimated 9.6 million new T.B cases & 13 million prevalent cases globally. WHO considered Egypt one of the high burden countries for TB infection with 15 incidence (per 100,000 people). Tuberculosis is still a leading cause of death worldwide, despite the availability of BCG vaccine & antibiotic treatment. Meta-analysis of BCG vaccination clearly indicated that BCG confers some protection against pulmonary and disseminated T.B in children, principally miliary disease and meningitis, but it is unreliable against the pulmonary T.B in adults. As BCG provides variable protective efficacy, there is an urgent need to develop a vaccine more protective than it. Thus, investigating the impact of BCG infection on the immune response is instrumental for setting a new, effective vaccine. |