Bacillus Calmette-Guerin Immunotherapy for Recurrent Multiple Warts: An Open-Label Uncontrolled Study

Intralesional Versus Intramuscular Hepatitis B Virus Vaccine in the Treatment of Multiple Common Warts

BACKGROUND

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination is associated with stimulation of humoral and cell-mediated immunity. Intralesional HBV vaccine has been recently used as an immunotherapy of common warts with relatively low success rate.

AIM

To assess the efficacy and safety of intralesional versus intramuscular (IM) HBV vaccine in the treatment of multiple common warts.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The study included 60 patients with multiple common warts who were randomly assigned to 2 groups: intralesional HBV vaccine or IM HBV vaccine. In the intralesional HBV vaccine group, the vaccine was injected into the largest wart at 2-week intervals until complete clearance or for a maximum of 5 sessions. Intramuscular HBV vaccine group received 3 injections in the deltoid muscle at 0, 1, and 6 months.

RESULTS

Complete wart clearance was reported in 7 patients (23.3%) of the intralesional HBV vaccine group and 15 patients (50%) of the IM HBV vaccine group. The difference was statistically significant in favor of the IM group ( p = .0479). Adverse effects were mild and insignificant in the 2 groups.

CONCLUSION

HBV vaccine, particularly the IM form seems to be a promising, well-tolerated therapeutic option for the treatment of warts.

LIMITATIONS

Short follow-up period and small sample size.

Intralesional immunotherapy for non-genital warts: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

Intralesional immunotherapy has been reported to be effective for warts and to show good safety profiles, but this has not yet been systematically studied.

Aims

To determine the efficacy and safety of intralesional immunotherapy for treating non-genital warts.

Methods

We comprehensively searched the MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science and Cochrane Library databases from the times of their inception to January 3, 2020. The primary outcome was the rate of complete response of all lesions. The distant complete response rate of warts located in an anatomically different body part and the recurrence rate were also analyzed.

Results

A total of 54 prospective studies was ultimately included. The immunotherapeutic agents used were Mycobacterium w vaccine, measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, purified protein derivative, Candida antigen, interferon, bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccine and others. The pooled rate of complete response among all patients with non-genital warts treated using intralesional immunotherapy was 60.6% (95% confidence interval 54.8–66.5%). The pooled recurrence rate was 2.0% (95% confidence interval, 1.1–2.9%). All reported adverse events were mild and transient.

Limitations

The heterogeneity among studies

Conclusion

Intralesional immunotherapy is suggested for use in patients with multiple warts, given its promising results, good safety profile and low recurrence rate.

BCG Vaccination: A potential tool against COVID-19 and COVID-19-like Black Swan incidents

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.

Management of Difficult-to-Treat Warts: Traditional and New Approaches

Warts are regularly treated by dermatologists, and while many respond readily to first-line treatments, others may represent a therapeutic challenge. Large, deep, numerous, and extensive warts; treatment-resistant lesions with higher risk for side effects, such as hypopigmentation; or patients unable to tolerate or comply with our treatment regimen, may need alternative treatment options. In this work we review the characteristics of select modalities that should be considered for difficult-to-treat warts. We discuss efficacy and tolerability data as well as practical features that can guide us to select the best treatment for every scenario. Novel approaches, still in an investigational phase, are also discussed to illustrate potential future directions of wart treatment.

Re: The Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) Vaccine: Is it a better choice for the treatment of viral warts?

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Bacillus Calmette-Guerin Vaccine and Nonspecific Immunity

Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine is one of the most widely used vaccines in the world. It protects against many non-mycobacterial infections secondary to its nonspecific immune effects. The mechanism for these effects includes modification of innate and adaptive immunity. The alteration in innate immunity is through histone modifications and epigenetic reprogramming of monocytes to develop an inflammatory phenotype, a process called “trained immunity.” The memory T cells of adaptive immunity are also responsible for resistance against secondary infections after administration of BCG vaccine, a process called “heterologous immunity.” Bacillus Calmette-Guerin vaccine is known to not only boosts immune responses to many vaccines when they are co-administered but also decrease severity of these infections when used alone. The BCG vaccine by itself induces a TH1 type response, and its use as a vector has also shown promising results. This review article summarizes the studies showing effects of BCG vaccines on various viral infections, its role in enhancing vaccine responses, the mechanisms for this protective effect, and information on its effect on COVID-19.

Bacillus Calmette-Guerin polysaccharide nucleic acid vs Bacillus Calmette-Guerin vaccine in the treatment of warts: A comparative, double-blind, controlled study

Bacillus Calmette-Guerin polysaccharide nucleic acid (BCG-PSN) is a relatively new generation, bacteria lipopolysaccharide fraction extracted from BCG vaccine. It has a strong immunomodulatory effect with higher efficacy and fewer side effects. To assess the clinical efficacy and safety of BCG-PSN vs the viable BCG vaccine in treatment of multiple warts. One hundred twenty patients with warts were allocated into three groups each containing 40 patients. Each group received intralesionally 0.1 mL of BCG-PSN, BCG vaccine, saline in group A, B, and C, respectively, for a maximum of five sessions, 3 weeks apart. Complete response occurred in 77.5% of group A vs 63.8% in group B. Partial response detected in 7.9% of control group (P < .0001). The distant warts showed 72.5% complete clearance in group A compared to 58.3% in group B (P = .19). Group A showed fewer number of sessions (P = .03) and earlier response than group B (P = .0003). A significant increase in the frequency of adverse effects was found among group B than group A (P < .0001). No recurrence was seen in both groups. BCG-PSN immunotherapy has a higher therapeutic efficacy with almost no serious side effects compared to the BCG vaccine in warts therapy.

The Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) Vaccine: Is it a better choice for the treatment of viral warts?

Objectives

This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of the bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine with topical salicylic acid (SA) in the treatment of viral warts.

Methods

This non-randomised controlled trial was conducted at the Al-Sader Teaching Hospital, Basrah, Iraq, from January 2016 to April 2017. A total of 201 patients with viral warts were injected with an intradermal purified protein derivative. Subsequently, those with negative tuberculin test results received an intradermal BCG vaccination, while those with positive results underwent conventional treatment with topical SA. Patients were assessed for any signs of improvement at one, two and three months.

Results

Overall, 190 patients completed the trial; of these, 133 (70%) received the BCG vaccine and 57 (30%) were treated with topical SA. Complete response to treatment was observed in 9.8% and 5.3% of patients in the BCG and SA groups, respectively (P <0.001). Cure rates were significantly higher for patients with genital (22.2% versus 7.7%; P = 0.002) and common warts (8.5% versus 0%; P = 0.001) treated with the BCG vaccine; however, the reverse was true for flat warts (12.9% versus 25%; P = 0.041). A binary logistic regression analysis indicated that BCG therapy was the only significant independent predictor of positive treatment response (odds ratio: 7.56, 95% confidence interval: 3.72-15.36; P <0.001).

Conclusion

The BCG vaccine was more effective than topical SA for treating viral warts, with the best response noted in the treatment of genital warts, followed by flat warts. However, plantar warts demonstrated least response to this treatment.

BCG: a vaccine with multiple faces

BCG has been recommended because of its efficacy against disseminated and meningeal tuberculosis. The BCG vaccine has other mechanisms of action besides tuberculosis protection, with immunomodulatory properties that are now being discovered. Reports have shown a significant protective effect against leprosy. Randomized controlled trials suggest that BCG vaccine has beneficial heterologous (nonspecific) effects on mortality in some developing countries. BCG immunotherapy is considered the gold standard adjuvant treatment for non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer. BCG vaccine has also been tested as treatment for diabetes and multiple sclerosis. Erythema of the BCG site is recognized as a clinical clue in Kawasaki disease. BCG administration in the immunodeficient patient is associated with local BCG disease (BCGitis) or disseminated BCG disease (BCGosis) with fatal consequences. BCG administration has been associated with the development of autoimmunity. We present a brief review of the diverse facets of the vaccine, with the discovery of its new modes of action providing new perspectives on this old, multifaceted and controversial vaccine.