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van Zutphen M, Kiemeney LA, Oldenhof UT, Maurits JS, Witjes JA, Joosten LA, Netea MG, Aben KK, Vrieling A, Vermeulen SH. No Association Between BCG Instillations and COVID-19 Incidence in a Dutch Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer Cohort. Bladder Cancer 2023; 9:355-363. [PMID: 38994242 PMCID: PMC11165912 DOI: 10.3233/blc-230088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/13/2024]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Leo A.B. Joosten
- Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Department of Medical Genetics, Iuliu Haţieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Mihai G. Netea
- Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Department of Immunology and Metabolism, Life and Medical Sciences Institute, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Katja K.H. Aben
- Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Netherlands Comprehensive Cancer Organisation, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Alina Vrieling
- Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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Pichler R, Diem G, Hackl H, Koutník J, Mertens LS, D`Andrea D, Pradere B, Soria F, Mari A, Laukhtina E, Krajewski W, Teoh JYC, Del Guidice F, Moschini M, Thurnher M, Posch W. Intravesical BCG in bladder cancer induces innate immune responses against SARS-CoV-2. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1202157. [PMID: 37520557 PMCID: PMC10374029 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1202157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2023] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023] Open
Abstract
BCG is the most efficient adjuvant therapy for high-risk, non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). Both innate and adaptive immune responses have been implicated in BCG-mediated effects. BCG vaccination can boost innate immune responses via trained immunity (TI), resulting in an increased resistance to respiratory viral infections. Here we evaluated for the first time whether intravesical application of BCG triggers increased immunity against SARS-CoV-2 in patients with high-risk NMIBC. Serum and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from heparinized whole blood samples of 11 unvaccinated SARS-CoV-2-naïve high-risk NMIBC patients were collected at baseline and during BCG treatment in a pre-COVID-19 era. To examine B-cell or T cell-dependent adaptive immunity against SARS-CoV-2, sera were tested for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies. Using a SARS-CoV-2 peptide pool, virus-specific T cells were quantified via IFNγ ELISpot assays. To analyze innate immune responses, mRNA and protein expression levels of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines were measured after a 24-hour stimulation of PBMCs with either BCG or SARS-CoV-2 wildtype. ATAC- sequencing was performed to identify a potential epigenetic reprogramming in immune cells. We neither identified SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies nor SARS-CoV-2- reactive T cells, indicating that intravesical BCG did not induce adaptive immunity against SARS-CoV-2. However, a significant increase in mRNA as well as protein expression of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNFα, which are key cytokines of trained immunity, could be observed after at least four intravesical BCG instillations. Genomic regions in the proximity of TI genes (TLR2, IGF1R, AKT1, MTOR, MAPK14, HSP90AA1) were more accessible during BCG compared to baseline. Although intravesical BCG did not induce adaptive immune responses, repetitive intravesical instillations of BCG induced circulating innate immune cells that produce TI cytokines also in response to SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renate Pichler
- Department of Urology, Comprehensive Cancer Center Innsbruck, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Gabriel Diem
- Institute of Hygiene and Medical Microbiology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Hubert Hackl
- Institute of Bioinformatics, Biocenter, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Jiří Koutník
- Institute of Cell Genetics, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Laura S. Mertens
- Department of Urology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute - Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - David D`Andrea
- Department of Urology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Benjamin Pradere
- Department of Urology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Department of Urology, Croix Du Sud Hospital, Quint-Fonsegrives, France
| | - Francesco Soria
- Department of Urology, Molinette Hospital, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Andrea Mari
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence - Unit of Oncologic Minimally-Invasive Urology and Andrology, Careggi Hospital, Florence, Italy
| | - Ekaterina Laukhtina
- Department of Urology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Institute for Urology and Reproductive Health, Sechenov University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Wojciech Krajewski
- Department of Minimally Invasive and Robotic Urology, Wrocław Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Jeremy Yuen-Chun Teoh
- Department of Surgery, S.H. Ho Urology Centre, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Francesco Del Guidice
- Department of Maternal Infant and Urologic Sciences, ‘Sapienza’ University of Rome, Policlinico Umberto I Hospital, Rome, Italy
| | - Marco Moschini
- Department of Urology, IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele and Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
| | - Martin Thurnher
- Immunotherapy Unit, Department of Urology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Wilfried Posch
- Institute of Hygiene and Medical Microbiology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
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3
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Shahbaz A, Mahmood T, Javed MU, Abbasi BH. Current advances in microbial-based cancer therapies. Med Oncol 2023; 40:207. [PMID: 37330997 DOI: 10.1007/s12032-023-02074-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/20/2023]
Abstract
Microbes have an immense metabolic capability and can adapt to a wide variety of environments; as a result, they share complicated relationships with cancer. The goal of microbial-based cancer therapy is to treat patients with cancers that are not easily treatable, by using tumor-specific infectious microorganisms. Nevertheless, a number of difficulties have been encountered as a result of the harmful effects of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and alternative cancer therapies, such as the toxicity to non-cancerous cells, the inability of medicines to penetrate deep tumor tissue, and the ongoing problem of rising drug resistance in tumor cells. Due to these difficulties, there is now a larger need for designing alternative strategies that are more effective and selective when targeting tumor cells. The fight against cancer has advanced significantly owing to cancer immunotherapy. The researchers have greatly benefited from their understanding of tumor-invading immune cells as well as the immune responses that are specifically targeted against cancer. Application of bacterial and viral cancer therapeutics offers promising potential to be employed as cancer treatments among immunotherapies. As a novel therapeutic strategy, microbial targeting of tumors has been created to address the persisting hurdles of cancer treatment. This review outlines the mechanisms by which both bacteria and viruses target and inhibit the proliferation of tumor cells. Their ongoing clinical trials and possible modifications that can be made in the future have also been addressed in the following sections. These microbial-based cancer medicines have the ability to suppress cancer that builds up and multiplies in the tumor microenvironment and triggers antitumor immune responses, in contrast to other cancer medications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Areej Shahbaz
- Department of Gastroenterology, Gastrointestinal Oncology and Endocrinology, University Medicine Goettingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Tehreem Mahmood
- Department of Biotechnology, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, 45320, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Uzair Javed
- Department of Biotechnology, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, 45320, Pakistan
| | - Bilal Haider Abbasi
- Department of Biotechnology, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, 45320, Pakistan.
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4
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Hurle R, Soria F, Contieri R, Avolio PP, Mancon S, Lazzeri M, Bernasconi V, Mazzoli S, Pizzuto G, De Bellis M, Rosazza M, Livoti S, Lupia T, Corcione S, Lillaz B, De Rosa FG, Buffi NM, Kamat AM, Gontero P, Casale P. Evaluating the Protective Effect of Intravesical Bacillus Calmette-Guerin against SARS-CoV-2 in Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer Patients: A Multicenter Observational Trial. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:cancers15051618. [PMID: 36900409 PMCID: PMC10000457 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15051618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2022] [Revised: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 02/24/2023] [Indexed: 03/08/2023] Open
Abstract
We aim to evaluate the potential protective role of intravesical Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) against SARS-CoV-2 in patients with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). Patients treated with intravesical adjuvant therapy for NMIBC between January 2018 and December 2019 at two Italian referral centers were divided into two groups based on the received intravesical treatment regimen (BCG vs. chemotherapy). The study's primary endpoint was evaluating SARS-CoV-2 disease incidence and severity among patients treated with intravesical BCG compared to the control group. The study's secondary endpoint was the evaluation of SARS-CoV-2 infection (estimated with serology testing) in the study groups. Overall, 340 patients treated with BCG and 166 treated with intravesical chemotherapy were included in the study. Among patients treated with BCG, 165 (49%) experienced BCG-related adverse events, and serious adverse events occurred in 33 (10%) patients. Receiving BCG or experiencing systemic BCG-related adverse events were not associated with symptomatic proven SARS-CoV-2 infection (p = 0.9) nor with a positive serology test (p = 0.5). The main limitations are related to the retrospective nature of the study. In this multicenter observational trial, a protective role of intravesical BCG against SARS-CoV-2 could not be demonstrated. These results may be used for decision-making regarding ongoing and future trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodolfo Hurle
- Department of Urology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Via Manzoni 56, 20089 Rozzano, Italy
| | - Francesco Soria
- Division of Urology, Department of Surgical Sciences, San Giovanni Battista Hospital, Torino School of Medicine, 10126 Turin, Italy
| | - Roberto Contieri
- Department of Urology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Via Manzoni 56, 20089 Rozzano, Italy
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Via Rita Levi Montalcini 4, 20090 Pieve Emanuele, Italy
| | - Pier Paolo Avolio
- Department of Urology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Via Manzoni 56, 20089 Rozzano, Italy
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Via Rita Levi Montalcini 4, 20090 Pieve Emanuele, Italy
| | - Stefano Mancon
- Department of Urology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Via Manzoni 56, 20089 Rozzano, Italy
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Via Rita Levi Montalcini 4, 20090 Pieve Emanuele, Italy
| | - Massimo Lazzeri
- Department of Urology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Via Manzoni 56, 20089 Rozzano, Italy
- Correspondence:
| | - Valentina Bernasconi
- Division of Urology, Department of Surgical Sciences, San Giovanni Battista Hospital, Torino School of Medicine, 10126 Turin, Italy
| | - Simone Mazzoli
- Division of Urology, Department of Surgical Sciences, San Giovanni Battista Hospital, Torino School of Medicine, 10126 Turin, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Pizzuto
- Division of Urology, Department of Surgical Sciences, San Giovanni Battista Hospital, Torino School of Medicine, 10126 Turin, Italy
| | - Matteo De Bellis
- Division of Urology, Department of Surgical Sciences, San Giovanni Battista Hospital, Torino School of Medicine, 10126 Turin, Italy
| | - Matteo Rosazza
- Division of Urology, Department of Surgical Sciences, San Giovanni Battista Hospital, Torino School of Medicine, 10126 Turin, Italy
| | - Simone Livoti
- Division of Urology, Department of Surgical Sciences, San Giovanni Battista Hospital, Torino School of Medicine, 10126 Turin, Italy
| | - Tommaso Lupia
- Department of Medical Sciences, Infectious Diseases, University of Turin, A.O.U. Città della Salute e della Scienza di Torino, 10126 Turin, Italy
| | - Silvia Corcione
- Department of Medical Sciences, Infectious Diseases, University of Turin, A.O.U. Città della Salute e della Scienza di Torino, 10126 Turin, Italy
| | - Beatrice Lillaz
- Division of Urology, Department of Surgical Sciences, San Giovanni Battista Hospital, Torino School of Medicine, 10126 Turin, Italy
| | - Francesco Giuseppe De Rosa
- Department of Medical Sciences, Infectious Diseases, University of Turin, A.O.U. Città della Salute e della Scienza di Torino, 10126 Turin, Italy
| | - Nicolò Maria Buffi
- Department of Urology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Via Manzoni 56, 20089 Rozzano, Italy
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Via Rita Levi Montalcini 4, 20090 Pieve Emanuele, Italy
| | - Ashish M. Kamat
- MD Anderson Cancer Center, University of Texas, Houston, TX 78712, USA
| | - Paolo Gontero
- Division of Urology, Department of Surgical Sciences, San Giovanni Battista Hospital, Torino School of Medicine, 10126 Turin, Italy
| | - Paolo Casale
- Department of Urology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Via Manzoni 56, 20089 Rozzano, Italy
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Gong W, Mao Y, Li Y, Qi Y. BCG Vaccination: A potential tool against COVID-19 and COVID-19-like Black Swan incidents. Int Immunopharmacol 2022; 108:108870. [PMID: 35597119 PMCID: PMC9113676 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2022.108870] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2022] [Revised: 05/07/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The severe acute respiratory syndrome
coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of the coronavirus
disease 2019 (COVID-19), and its variants have brought unprecedented
impacts to the global public health system, politics, economy, and other
fields. Although more than ten COVID-19 specific vaccines have been
approved for emergency use, COVID-19 prevention and control still face
many challenges. Bacille Calmette–Guérin (BCG) is the only authorized
vaccine used to fight against tuberculosis (TB), it has been hypothesized
that BCG may prevent and control COVID-19 based on BCG-induced
nonspecific immune responses. Herein, we summarized: 1) The nonspecific
protection effects of BCG, such as prophylactic protection effects of BCG
on nonmycobacterial infections, immunotherapy effects of BCG vaccine, and
enhancement effect of BCG vaccine on unrelated vaccines; 2) Recent
evidence of BCG's efficacy against SARS-COV-2 infection from ecological
studies, analytical analyses, clinical trials, and animal studies; 3)
Three possible mechanisms of BCG vaccine and their effects on COVID-19
control including heterologous immunity, trained immunity, and
anti-inflammatory effect. We hope that this review will encourage more
scientists to investigate further BCG induced non-specific immune
responses and explore their mechanisms, which could be a potential tool
for addressing the COVID-19 pandemic and COVID-19-like “Black Swan”
events to reduce the impacts of infectious disease outbreaks on public
health, politics, and economy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenping Gong
- Tuberculosis Prevention and Control Key Laboratory/Beijing Key Laboratory of New Techniques of Tuberculosis Diagnosis and Treatment, Senior Department of Tuberculosis, The 8(th) Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100091, China
| | - Yingqing Mao
- Huadong Research Institute for Medicine and Biotechniques, Nanjing 210002, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Yuexi Li
- Huadong Research Institute for Medicine and Biotechniques, Nanjing 210002, Jiangsu Province, China.
| | - Yong Qi
- Huadong Research Institute for Medicine and Biotechniques, Nanjing 210002, Jiangsu Province, China.
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Bayram Z, Musharrafieh U, Bizri AR. Revisiting the potential role of BCG and MMR vaccines in COVID-19. Sci Prog 2022; 105:368504221105172. [PMID: 35848578 PMCID: PMC10450304 DOI: 10.1177/00368504221105172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/27/2023]
Abstract
Despite the development and deployment of effective COVID-19 vaccines, many regions remain poorly covered. Seeking alternative tools for achieving immunity against COVID-19 remains to be of high importance. "Trained immunity" is the nonspecific immune response usually established through administering live attenuated vaccines and is a potential preventive tool against unrelated infections. Evidence regarding a possible protective role for certain live attenuated vaccines against COVID-19 has emerged mainly for those administered as part of childhood vaccination protocols. This review summarizes the relevant literature about the potential impact of Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) and measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccines on COVID-19. Existing available data suggest a potential role for BCG and MMR in reducing COVID-19 casualties and burden. However, more investigation and comparative studies are required for a better understanding of their impact on COVID-19 outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Umayya Musharrafieh
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon
- Department of Family Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Abdul Rahman Bizri
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon
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7
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COVID-19 and Beyond: Exploring Public Health Benefits from Non-Specific Effects of BCG Vaccination. Microorganisms 2021; 9:microorganisms9102120. [PMID: 34683441 PMCID: PMC8539044 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9102120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2021] [Revised: 09/29/2021] [Accepted: 10/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacille Calmette–Guérin (BCG) vaccination, widely used throughout the world to protect against infant tuberculous meningitis and miliary tuberculosis (TB), can provide broad non-specific protection against infectious respiratory diseases in certain groups. Interest in BCG has seen a resurgence within the scientific community as the mechanisms for non-specific protection have begun to be elucidated. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on nearly every aspect of society has profoundly illustrated the pressure that respiratory infections can place on a national healthcare system, further renewing interest in BCG vaccination as a public health policy to reduce the burden of those illnesses. However, the United States does not recommend BCG vaccination due to its variable effectiveness against adult TB, the relatively low risk of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in most of the United States, and the vaccine’s interference with tuberculin skin test reactivity that complicates TB screening. In this review, we explore the broad immune training effects of BCG vaccination and literature on the effects of BCG vaccination on COVID-19 spread, disease severity, and mortality. We further discuss barriers to scheduled BCG vaccination in the United States and how those barriers could potentially be overcome.
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Mungmunpuntipantip R, Wiwanitkit V. COVID-19 in patients treated with intravesical Bacillus Calmette Guerin. Rev Assoc Med Bras (1992) 2021; 67:1077. [DOI: 10.1590/1806-9282.20210581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2021] [Accepted: 07/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
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Aspatwar A, Gong W, Wang S, Wu X, Parkkila S. Tuberculosis vaccine BCG: the magical effect of the old vaccine in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Int Rev Immunol 2021; 41:283-296. [PMID: 33960271 PMCID: PMC8108189 DOI: 10.1080/08830185.2021.1922685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) is a live attenuated M. bovis vaccine that was developed about 100 years ago by Albert Calmette and Camille Guérin. Many countries have been using the vaccine for decades against tuberculosis (TB). The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a single dose of BCG for infants in TB endemic as well as leprosy high risk countries, and globally almost 130 million infants are vaccinated yearly. The role of BCG is well known in reducing neonatal and childhood death rates. Epidemiological and retrospective cross-sectional studies demonstrated that the BCG vaccination protects the children against respiratory tract infections and lowers the risk of malaria in children. In addition, BCG enhances IFN-γ and IL-10 levels, thus providing immunity against respiratory tract infection even in elderly people. The BCG is also known to provide nonspecific innate immunity against viruses and parasites, through an innate immune mechanism termed ‘trained immunity’ and is defined as the immunological recall of the innate immune system by epigenetic reprogramming. Based on these studies it is suggested that the BCG has the potential to act as a protective agent against COVID-19. Further proven safety records of BCG in humans, its adjuvant activity and low-cost manufacturing make it an attractive option to stop the pandemic and reduce the COVID-19 related mortality. In this review we discuss the heterologous effects of BCG, induction of trained immunity and its implication in development of a potential vaccine against COVID-19 pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashok Aspatwar
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Wenping Gong
- Army Tuberculosis Prevention and Control Key Laboratory, Beijing Key Laboratory of New Techniques of Tuberculosis Diagnosis and Treatment, Institute for Tuberculosis Research, the 8th Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Shuyong Wang
- Army Tuberculosis Prevention and Control Key Laboratory, Beijing Key Laboratory of New Techniques of Tuberculosis Diagnosis and Treatment, Institute for Tuberculosis Research, the 8th Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Xueqiong Wu
- Army Tuberculosis Prevention and Control Key Laboratory, Beijing Key Laboratory of New Techniques of Tuberculosis Diagnosis and Treatment, Institute for Tuberculosis Research, the 8th Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Seppo Parkkila
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland.,Fimlab Laboratories Ltd, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
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Abstract
Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine has been globally used to protect infants against tuberculosis (TB) for about a century. This vaccine has been shown to provide some degree of non-specific protection from other respiratory tract infections. This advantage has encouraged researchers to investigate the potential protection of this vaccine from the coronavirus disease 2019 from different perspectives in the ongoing pandemic. In this study, we have comprehensively reviewed the latest articles on potential vaccine effectiveness of BCG on COVID-19 and summarized the possible impacts of the BCG against SARS-COV-2 in detail.
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Affiliation(s)
- Narges Bagheri
- Department of Applied Mathematics, University of Azarbaijan Shahid Madani, Tabriz, Iran.,Department of Bioinformatics, Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics (IBB), University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hesam Montazeri
- Department of Bioinformatics, Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics (IBB), University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
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