BCG Vaccine—The Road Not Taken
The <i>Bacillus Calmette-Guérin</i> (BCG) vaccine has been used for over one hundred years to protect against the most lethal infectious agent in human history, tuberculosis. Over four billion BCG doses have been given and, worldwide, most newborns receive BCG. A few countries, including...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-09-01
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| Series: | Microorganisms |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/10/10/1919 |
| _version_ | 1797471173512003584 |
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| author | Coad Thomas Dow Laith Kidess |
| author_facet | Coad Thomas Dow Laith Kidess |
| author_sort | Coad Thomas Dow |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The <i>Bacillus Calmette-Guérin</i> (BCG) vaccine has been used for over one hundred years to protect against the most lethal infectious agent in human history, tuberculosis. Over four billion BCG doses have been given and, worldwide, most newborns receive BCG. A few countries, including the United States, did not adopt the WHO recommendation for routine use of BCG. Moreover, within the past several decades, most of Western Europe and Australia, having originally employed routine BCG, have discontinued its use. This review article articulates the impacts of those decisions. The suggested consequences include increased tuberculosis, increased infections caused by non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), increased autoimmune disease (autoimmune diabetes and multiple sclerosis) and increased neurodegenerative disease (Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease). This review also offers an emerged zoonotic pathogen, <i>Mycobacterium</i><i>avium</i> ss. <i>paratuberculosis</i> (MAP), as a mostly unrecognized NTM that may have a causal role in some, if not all, of these diseases. Current clinical trials with BCG for varied infectious, autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases have brought this century-old vaccine to the fore due to its presumed immuno-modulating capacity. With its historic success and strong safety profile, the new and novel applications for BCG may lead to its universal use–putting the Western World back onto the road not taken. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T19:45:35Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9dda53b891d7492cb779b9167bcf860c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2607 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T19:45:35Z |
| publishDate | 2022-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Microorganisms |
| spelling | doaj.art-9dda53b891d7492cb779b9167bcf860c2023-11-24T01:25:25ZengMDPI AGMicroorganisms2076-26072022-09-011010191910.3390/microorganisms10101919BCG Vaccine—The Road Not TakenCoad Thomas Dow0Laith Kidess1Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, McPherson Eye Research Institute, Madison, WI 53705, USADepartment of Biochemistry, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN 55105, USAThe <i>Bacillus Calmette-Guérin</i> (BCG) vaccine has been used for over one hundred years to protect against the most lethal infectious agent in human history, tuberculosis. Over four billion BCG doses have been given and, worldwide, most newborns receive BCG. A few countries, including the United States, did not adopt the WHO recommendation for routine use of BCG. Moreover, within the past several decades, most of Western Europe and Australia, having originally employed routine BCG, have discontinued its use. This review article articulates the impacts of those decisions. The suggested consequences include increased tuberculosis, increased infections caused by non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), increased autoimmune disease (autoimmune diabetes and multiple sclerosis) and increased neurodegenerative disease (Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease). This review also offers an emerged zoonotic pathogen, <i>Mycobacterium</i><i>avium</i> ss. <i>paratuberculosis</i> (MAP), as a mostly unrecognized NTM that may have a causal role in some, if not all, of these diseases. Current clinical trials with BCG for varied infectious, autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases have brought this century-old vaccine to the fore due to its presumed immuno-modulating capacity. With its historic success and strong safety profile, the new and novel applications for BCG may lead to its universal use–putting the Western World back onto the road not taken.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/10/10/1919<i>Bacillus Calmette-Guérin</i> (BCG)tuberculosisnon-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM)nonspecific effectstrained immunitytype 1 diabetes |
| spellingShingle | Coad Thomas Dow Laith Kidess BCG Vaccine—The Road Not Taken Microorganisms <i>Bacillus Calmette-Guérin</i> (BCG) tuberculosis non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) nonspecific effects trained immunity type 1 diabetes |
| title | BCG Vaccine—The Road Not Taken |
| title_full | BCG Vaccine—The Road Not Taken |
| title_fullStr | BCG Vaccine—The Road Not Taken |
| title_full_unstemmed | BCG Vaccine—The Road Not Taken |
| title_short | BCG Vaccine—The Road Not Taken |
| title_sort | bcg vaccine the road not taken |
| topic | <i>Bacillus Calmette-Guérin</i> (BCG) tuberculosis non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) nonspecific effects trained immunity type 1 diabetes |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/10/10/1919 |
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