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da Costa CG, Jalalizadeh M, Yadollahvandmiandoab R, Buosi K, Reis LO. Effect of BCG on Respiratory Complications Caused by COVID-19: A Scoping Review. Int J Gen Med 2022; 15:8727-8741. [PMID: 36601650 PMCID: PMC9807169 DOI: 10.2147/ijgm.s393861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) has been shown to have protective effects against respiratory viruses. We conducted a scoping review of the literature to clarify the available evidence regarding the effect of BCG therapy in preventing respiratory complications of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Methods We searched PubMed, Embase, CENTRAL, Scopus, and Web of Science for related studies up to October 2022. Results In total, 35 publications and trials were included. One animal study, two observational studies, and six finalized trials measured the effect of BCG administration on respiratory complications of COVID-19. The remaining publications included eight unfinished trials, 12 ecological studies, and six observational studies that did not directly measure respiratory complications but assessed overall mortality of the disease and were included as an adjunct to our study. All trials involved vaccinating adults to protect them against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, and measured respiratory symptoms or the need for intensive respiratory support as the primary or secondary aim of the study. One trial that exclusively included at-risk adults between 18 and 60 years old showed a decreased chance of respiratory complications as the secondary outcome of the study. Another trial that exclusively evaluated this effect on the elderly (60 years and older) as the primary aim of the study reported no protective effect against respiratory complications. The remaining literature provided mostly inconclusive evidence. Conclusion The majority of the literature on the protective effect of BCG against respiratory complications of COVID-19 is inconclusive.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mehrsa Jalalizadeh
- Department of UroScience, School of Medical Sciences, University of Campinas – UNICAMP, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Reza Yadollahvandmiandoab
- Department of UroScience, School of Medical Sciences, University of Campinas – UNICAMP, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Keini Buosi
- Department of UroScience, School of Medical Sciences, University of Campinas – UNICAMP, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Leonardo O Reis
- Department of UroScience, School of Medical Sciences, University of Campinas – UNICAMP, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
- Pontifical Catholic University of Campinas, PUC, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
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Faustman DL, Lee A, Hostetter ER, Aristarkhova A, Ng NC, Shpilsky GF, Tran L, Wolfe G, Takahashi H, Dias HF, Braley J, Zheng H, Schoenfeld DA, Kühtreiber WM. Multiple BCG vaccinations for the prevention of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases in type 1 diabetes. Cell Rep Med 2022; 3:100728. [PMID: 36027906 PMCID: PMC9376308 DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2022.100728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2022] [Revised: 06/08/2022] [Accepted: 08/08/2022] [Indexed: 04/08/2023]
Abstract
There is a need for safe and effective platform vaccines to protect against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and other infectious diseases. In this randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled phase 2/3 trial, we evaluate the safety and efficacy of a multi-dose Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine for the prevention of COVID-19 and other infectious disease in a COVID-19-unvaccinated, at-risk-community-based cohort. The at-risk population is made of up of adults with type 1 diabetes. We enrolled 144 subjects and randomized 96 to BCG and 48 to placebo. There were no dropouts over the 15-month trial. A cumulative incidence of 12.5% of placebo-treated and 1% of BCG-treated participants meets criteria for confirmed COVID-19, yielding an efficacy of 92%. The BCG group also displayed fewer infectious disease symptoms and lesser severity and fewer infectious disease events per patient, including COVID-19. There were no BCG-related systemic adverse events. BCG's broad-based infection protection suggests that it may provide platform protection against new severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants and other pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denise L Faustman
- Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02192, USA.
| | - Amanda Lee
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02192, USA
| | | | | | - Nathan C Ng
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02192, USA
| | | | - Lisa Tran
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02192, USA
| | - Grace Wolfe
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02192, USA
| | - Hiroyuki Takahashi
- Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02192, USA
| | - Hans F Dias
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02192, USA
| | - Joan Braley
- Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02192, USA
| | - Hui Zheng
- Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02192, USA
| | - David A Schoenfeld
- Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02192, USA
| | - Willem M Kühtreiber
- Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02192, USA
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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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COVID-19 vaccine development based on recombinant viral and bacterial vector systems: combinatorial effect of adaptive and trained immunity. J Microbiol 2022; 60:321-334. [PMID: 35157221 PMCID: PMC8853094 DOI: 10.1007/s12275-022-1621-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Revised: 12/30/2021] [Accepted: 12/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 virus (SARS-CoV-2) infection, which causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has led to many cases and deaths worldwide. Therefore, a number of vaccine candidates have been developed to control the COVID-19 pandemic. Of these, to date, 21 vaccines have received emergency approval for human use in at least one country. However, the recent global emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants has compromised the efficacy of the currently available vaccines. To protect against these variants, the use of vaccines that modulate T cell-mediated immune responses or innate immune cell memory function, termed trained immunity, is needed. The major advantage of a vaccine that uses bacteria or viral systems for the delivery of COVID-19 antigens is the ability to induce both T cell-mediated and humoral immune responses. In addition, such vaccine systems can also exert off-target effects via the vector itself, mediated partly through trained immunity; compared to other vaccine platforms, suggesting that this approach can provide better protection against even vaccine escape variants. This review presents the current status of the development of COVID-19 vaccines based on recombinant viral and bacterial delivery systems. We also discuss the current status of the use of licensed live vaccines for other infections, including BCG, oral polio and MMR vaccines, to prevent COVID-19 infections.
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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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Cerqueira SRPS, Deps PD, Cunha DV, Bezerra NVF, Barroso DH, Pinheiro ABS, Pillegi GS, Repsold TAR, Kurizky PS, Collin SM, Gomes CM. The influence of leprosy-related clinical and epidemiological variables in the occurrence and severity of COVID-19: A prospective real-world cohort study. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2021; 15:e0009635. [PMID: 34319982 PMCID: PMC8351963 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0009635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2021] [Revised: 08/09/2021] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Protective effects of Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination and clofazimine and dapsone treatment against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection have been reported. Patients at risk for leprosy represent an interesting model for assessing the effects of these therapies on the occurrence and severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We assessed the influence of leprosy-related variables in the occurrence and severity of COVID-19. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We performed a 14-month prospective real-world cohort study in which the main risk factor was 2 previous vaccinations with BCG and the main outcome was COVID-19 detection by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). A Cox proportional hazards model was used. Among the 406 included patients, 113 were diagnosed with leprosy. During follow-up, 69 (16.99%) patients contracted COVID-19. Survival analysis showed that leprosy was associated with COVID-19 (p<0.001), but multivariate analysis showed that only COVID-19-positive household contacts (hazard ratio (HR) = 8.04; 95% CI = 4.93-13.11) and diabetes mellitus (HR = 2.06; 95% CI = 1.04-4.06) were significant risk factors for COVID-19. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE Leprosy patients are vulnerable to COVID-19 because they have more frequent contact with SARS-CoV-2-infected patients, possibly due to social and economic limitations. Our model showed that the use of corticosteroids, thalidomide, pentoxifylline, clofazimine, or dapsone or BCG vaccination did not affect the occurrence or severity of COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Selma Regina Penha Silva Cerqueira
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Médicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, Brazil
- Hospital Universitário de Brasília, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, Brazil
| | - Patrícia Duarte Deps
- Post-Graduation Programme of Infectious Diseases, Federal University of Espírito Santo, Vitória, Brazil
| | - Débora Vilela Cunha
- Hospital Universitário de Brasília, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, Brazil
| | | | - Daniel Holanda Barroso
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Médicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, Brazil
- Hospital Universitário de Brasília, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, Brazil
| | | | | | | | - Patrícia Shu Kurizky
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Médicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, Brazil
- Hospital Universitário de Brasília, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, Brazil
| | - Simon M. Collin
- Post-Graduation Programme of Infectious Diseases, Federal University of Espírito Santo, Vitória, Brazil
| | - Ciro Martins Gomes
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Médicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, Brazil
- Hospital Universitário de Brasília, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, Brazil
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