人类结核是通过患者咳嗽产生带有结核杆菌（Mtb）的气溶胶传播的，绝大多数（90%）感染者不发病，成为潜伏感染。由于猕猴Mtb感染和人类相似，猕猴模型已被广泛应用于TB研究。但是，目前常用经纤支镜接种Mtb到肺部的方法使大多数被感染的猕猴发展为急性结核病，在短期内死亡。 因此，该模型不适用于TB疫苗和药物的评估。本研究旨在建立与人类结核传播（经空气）和感染（潜伏）更相似的猕猴模型。我们推测，经气溶胶传播感染Mtb的猕猴会发展为潜伏感染。因此，通过改建现有负压猴笼的进出风系统，让空气在置有感染猴和健康猴的组合猴笼内反复循环（见示意图4，图5），使健康猴接触经纤支镜感染结核并有咳嗽的猕猴所在笼的空气，使其感染Mtb并发展为潜伏感染。该模型的建立有助于了解潜伏感染和急性感染在TB免疫激活和调控方面的异同，揭示建立潜伏感染的免疫病理机制，为研发和评估抗结核疫苗和药物提供更有临床意义的猕猴模型。

Human TB is transmitted through Mtb aerosols from infected people. The majority (90%) of infected people develop latent TB infection. Because of the similarities in Mtb infection between macaques and humans, macaque models have been extensively used for TB research. However, the majority of artificially infected macaques develop acute/active TB disease, and die within a short time period. Thererfore, the current models are not suitable for the evaluation of new TB vaccine and drugs. The purpose of this project is to establish a latent TB infection macaque model through aerosol transmission. To establish such model requires the modification of the air flow system in our current macaque cages (see Diagrams 4 and 5), which allows heathy macaques to contact Mtb-contaminated air from the cages with artifically infected animals that cough, becoming latently infected. To establish such as model would be useful for understanding differences in host immune activation and responses to Mtb between latent and acute infections. This model is not only useful for understanding the immunopathogenesis of TB latent infection, but also provide a clinically valuable macaque model for the development and evaluation of new vaccines and drugs against TB.