formulations have been developed to treat or reduce the spread of respiratory infections , especially chronic or drug resistant infections , particularly tuberculosis , severe acute respiratory syndrome , meningococcal meningitis , respiratory syncytial virus , influenza , and small pox . formulations include a drug or vaccine in the form of a microparticle , nanoparticle , or aggregate of nanoparticles , and , optionally , a carrier , which can be delivered by inhalation . giving the drugs via an inhaler sidesteps the problems associated with oral or injectable drugs by bypassing the stomach and liver , and delivering the medication directly into the lungs . in one embodiment , the particle containing the agent is a large porous aerosol particle . in another embodiment , the particles are nanoparticles , which can be administered as porous nanoparticle aggregates with micron diameters that disperse into nanoparticles following administration . optionally , the nanoparticles are coated , such as with a surfactant or protein coating . the formulation may be administered as a powder or administered as a solution or via an enteral or non - pulmonary parenteral route of administration . the formulation is preferably administered as a pulmonary formulation . in the preferred embodiment for treatment of tb , the vaccine is a bcg vaccine that is stable at room temperature , or is an antibiotic effective against tb , such as capreomycin or pa - 824 , loaded at a very high percentage into the microparticles or nanoparticles . in one embodiment , a patient is treated with formulations delivering both antibiotic and vaccine .