Institute of Tropical Pathology and Public Health, Federal University of Goiás, Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil.
Department of Biology, Academic Areas, Federal Institute of Goiás, Anápolis, Goiás, Brazil.
Mini Rev Med Chem. 2022;22(12):1631-1647. doi: 10.2174/1389557522666220104152634.
Evidence from multiple scientific studies suggests that the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine, widely used worldwide as a preventive measure against tuberculosis, also offers crossprotection against other pathogens. This review aimed to gather data from research that studied the mechanisms involved in the immunological protection induced by the BCG vaccine, which may be important in the control of viral infections, such as COVID-19. Through a literature review, we compiled information about the different BCG strains used worldwide, as well as the responses and protection elicited by them. We commented on the mechanisms of immune response to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and we discussed the possibility of cross-protection of different BCG strains on the control of COVID-19. Due to the immunomodulatory properties of BCG, some BCG strains were able to induce an effective cellular immune response and, through epigenetic modifications, activate cells of the innate immune system, such as monocytes, macrophages and natural killer cells, which are crucial for the control of viral infections. Although several vaccines have already been developed and used in an attempt to control the COVID-19 pandemic, some BCG vaccine strains may help stimulate the basal defences against these pathogens and can be used as additional defences in this and future pandemics.
多项科学研究表明，广泛用于预防结核病的卡介苗（BCG）疫苗还能为其他病原体提供交叉保护。本综述旨在从研究中收集卡介苗疫苗诱导免疫保护的机制数据，这些机制可能对控制病毒感染（如 COVID-19）很重要。通过文献综述，我们编译了有关世界范围内使用的不同 BCG 菌株以及它们引起的反应和保护的信息。我们评论了针对严重急性呼吸系统综合征冠状病毒 2（SARS-CoV-2）的免疫反应机制，并讨论了不同 BCG 菌株对控制 COVID-19 的交叉保护的可能性。由于 BCG 的免疫调节特性，一些 BCG 菌株能够诱导有效的细胞免疫反应，并通过表观遗传修饰激活先天免疫系统的细胞，如单核细胞、巨噬细胞和自然杀伤细胞，这些细胞对于控制病毒感染至关重要。尽管已经开发并使用了几种疫苗来试图控制 COVID-19 大流行，但一些 BCG 疫苗菌株可能有助于刺激针对这些病原体的基本防御，并可在本次和未来的大流行中作为额外的防御手段。
