Journal article
Neonatal BCG Vaccination Reduces Interferon-gamma Responsiveness to Heterologous Pathogens in Infants From a Randomized Controlled
Bridget Freyne, Nicole L Messina, Susan Donath, Susie Germano, Rhian Bonnici, Kaya Gardiner, Dan Casalaz, Roy M Robins-Browne, Mihai G Netea, Katie L Flanagan, Toby Kollmann, Nigel Curtis
Journal of Infectious Diseases | OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC | Published : 2020
Abstract
BACKGROUND: BCG vaccination has beneficial nonspecific (heterologous) effects that protect against nonmycobacterial infections. We have previously reported that BCG vaccination at birth alters in vitro cytokine responses to heterologous stimulants in the neonatal period. This study investigated heterologous responses in 167 infants in the same trial 7 months after randomization. METHODS: A whole-blood assay was used to interrogate in vitro cytokine responses to heterologous stimulants (killed pathogens) and Toll-like receptor (TLR) ligands. RESULTS: Compared to BCG-naive infants, BCG-vaccinated infants had increased production of interferon gamma (IFN-γ) and monokine induced by gamma interfe..
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Awarded by National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia (NHMRC)
Funding Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia (NHMRC) (grant numbers GNT1051228 and GNT1099680); the University of Melbourne (International Research Scholarship to B. F.); the European Society of Paediatric Infectious Diseases (fellowship to B. F.); and the Clifford Craig Foundation. M. G. N. was supported by a Spinoza grant of The Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research.