Asokkumar, MSelvaraju, GManoharan, STirumurugaan, KGMaroudam, VVijayabharathi, MTANUVAS2019-02-192019-02-192018-10http://krishikosh.egranth.ac.in/handle/1/5810095855TNV_Ijcmas_2018_7(10)1939-1944Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) remains a major problem causing huge economic loss in livestock farming. It can spread to humans from infected cattle either through aerosol or by consumption of contaminated dairy products to cause zoonotic tuberculosis. Current Indian diagnostic approach is by intra dermal injection of PPD (tuberculin skin test) derived from the Mycobacterium bovis (bovine PPD) wherein the infected animals provokes a measurable skin reaction. BCG vaccination is not used to control bovine tuberculosis because of minimal data available on its vaccine immunogenicity and efficacy studies in cattle. Thus it’s important to test the BCG vaccine performance in the Indian cattle population. The present study aimed at evaluating the BCG vaccine immunogenicity testing in young sahiwal calves. The bTB screening and vaccine immunogenicity were evaluated using the OIE approved Interferon gamma release assay (IGRA) using BOVIGAM™ kit. BCG was titrated with 105 colony forming units (CFU) and observed from the present study that low dose of 105 (CFU) is found to be effective for inducing significant bTB specific protective IFN-gamma at day 14 post vaccination. Thus the conventional BCG vaccination shall be considered as an approach for the control as well as reducing the bio burden of bovine tuberculosis along with complementary diagnosis.enVeterinary ScienceArticle