Thus, defining the differential immune requirements that mediate protective immunity against clinical isolates such as the widely spreading W-Beijing isolate, is critical for successful design of vaccines against emerging strains of Mtb. Thus, our novel results demonstrating a role for IL-17 in primary immunity to specific Mtb strains, have far reaching implications for the future design of vaccines and therapies to prevent and treat TB worldwide, especially emergent strains of clinical relevance for public health. Here, IL17A is linked to tuberculosis.