Early versus late BCG vaccination in HIV-1-exposed infants in Uganda: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Multidimensional futuristic approaches to address the pandemics beyond COVID-19

Globally, the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been enormous and unrelenting with ∼6.9 million deaths and ∼765 million infections. This review mainly focuses on the recent advances and potentially novel molecular tools for viral diagnostics and therapeutics with far-reaching implications in managing the future pandemics. In addition to briefly highlighting the existing and recent methods of viral diagnostics, we propose a couple of potentially novel non-PCR-based methods for rapid, cost-effective, and single-step detection of nucleic acids of viruses using RNA mimics of green fluorescent protein (GFP) and nuclease-based approaches. We also highlight key innovations in miniaturized Lab-on-Chip (LoC) devices, which in combination with cyber-physical systems, could serve as ideal futuristic platforms for viral diagnosis and disease management. We also discuss underexplored and underutilized antiviral strategies, including ribozyme-mediated RNA-cleaving tools for targeting viral RNA, and recent advances in plant-based platforms for rapid, low-cost, and large-scale production and oral delivery of antiviral agents/vaccines. Lastly, we propose repurposing of the existing vaccines for newer applications with a major emphasis on Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG)-based vaccine engineering.

Highlights of the 3rd international BCG symposium: 100th anniversary of the first administration of BCG

2021 was the year of the 100th anniversary of the first administration of the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) to a human being. It was the start of a long journey of the world’s most widely used vaccine and the oldest vaccine still in use. More than 4 billion children have been vaccinated with BCG for protection against tuberculosis. However, over the years it became apparent that BCG also has beneficial non-specific effects. As such, it provides protection against various heterologous infectious and non-infectious diseases and is used to treat non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer. As BCG was developed at the Institut Pasteur de Lille by Albert Calmette and Camille Guérin, the Institute has celebrated this important anniversary with an international scientific symposium on all aspects of BCG, held from November 17 to 19, 2021 at the Institut Pasteur de Lille. It covered BCG against tuberculosis and described novel vaccine approaches, the effect of BCG against heterologous infections, including BCG and COVID-19, the effect of BCG against cancer, and BCG against auto-immune and inflammatory diseases. To discuss these areas, the symposium gathered close to 200 participants from all five continents, 2/3 on-line. This article presents the highlights of this 3^rd International Symposium on BCG.

Safety and Immunogenicity of Early Bacillus Calmette-Guérin Vaccination in Infants Who Are Preterm and/or Have Low Birth Weights: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

IMPORTANCE

Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination is commonly delayed in infants who are preterm and have low birth weights (LBW) despite the association of early vaccination with better vaccination coverage and potentially nonspecific benefits for survival.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the safety, immunogenicity, and protective efficacy against tuberculosis (TB) of BCG vaccination given at or before 7 days after birth vs vaccination more than 7 days after birth among infants who are preterm and/or had LBW.

DATA SOURCES

Searches of Medline, Embase, and Global Health databases were conducted from inception until August 8, 2017.

STUDY SELECTION

Clinical trials, cohort studies, and case-control studies that included infants who were preterm and/or had LBW and reported safety, mortality, immunogenicity, proxies of vaccine take, and/or efficacy against TB.

DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS

Two authors independently extracted data and assessed the quality of the studies. Data extracted included demographics, covariates, sources of bias, and effect estimates. Meta-analysis was performed using a random-effects model.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

Safety, mortality, immunogenicity, or other proxies of vaccine take, such as tuberculin skin test (TST) conversion and efficacy against tuberculosis.

RESULTS

Forty studies were included in a qualitative synthesis; infants who were preterm (born at 26-37 weeks' gestational age) and/or had LBW (0.69-2.5 kg at birth) were included. The BCG vaccine was administered at or before 7 days to 10 568 clinically stable infants who were preterm and/or had LBW; vaccination was administered to 4310 infants at varying times between 8 days and 12 months after birth. Twenty-one studies reporting safety found no cases of BCG-associated death or systemic disease in 8243 infants. Four studies reported no increase in all-cause mortality for infants who had LBW and who received early BCG vaccination compared with infants who had LBW with later vaccination or BCG-vaccinated infants of normal birth weight. Four studies reported lymphadenitis incidence; combined, these reported 0% to 2.9% incidence of vaccination within 7 days and 0% to 4.2% of vaccination after 7 days. Meta-analysis of 7 studies revealed no differences between early and delayed BCG vaccination for scar formation (n = 515; relative risk [RR], 1.01 [95% CI, 0.95-1.07]) or TST conversion (n = 397; RR, 0.97 [95% CI, 0.84-1.13]). Published data were insufficient to assess immunogenicity or protective efficacy against TB disease.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

Early BCG vaccination in healthy infants who are preterm and/or had LBW has a similar safety profile, reactogenicity, and TST conversion rate as delayed vaccination. Based on current evidence, early BCG vaccination in stable infants who are preterm and/or have LBW to optimize uptake is warranted.