Licensed Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) formulations differ markedly in bacterial viability, RNA content and innate immune activation.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG), the live attenuated tuberculosis vaccine, is manufactured under different conditions across the globe generating formulations that may differ in clinical efficacy. Innate immune recognition of live BCG contributes to immunogenicity suggesting that differences in BCG viability may contribute to divergent activity of licensed formulations.

Methods

We compared BCG-Denmark (DEN), -Japan (JPN), -India (IND), -Bulgaria (BUL) and -USA in vitro with respect to a) viability as measured by colony-forming units (CFU), mycobacterial membrane integrity, and RNA content, and b) cytokine/chemokine production in newborn cord and adult peripheral blood.

Results

Upon culture, relative growth was BCG-USA > JPN ≫ DEN > BUL = IND. BCG-IND and -BUL

SUBMITTER: Angelidou A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7556328 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature