Non-Specific Effects of Bacillus Calmette-Guerin: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Vaccines induce antigen-specific immunity, which provides long-lived protection from the target pathogen. Trials from areas with high incidence rates for infectious diseases indicated that the tuberculosis vaccine Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) induces in addition non-specific immunity against various pathogens and thereby reduces overall mortality more than would have been expected by just protecting from tuberculosis. Although recent trials produced conflicting results, it was suggested that BCG might protect from non-tuberculosis respiratory infections and could be used to bridge the time until a specific vaccine against novel respiratory diseases like COVID-19 is available.

Methods

We performed a systematic search for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) publis

SUBMITTER: Trunk G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9866113 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature