Off-target effects of bacillus Calmette–Guérin vaccination on immune responses to SARS-CoV-2: implications for protection against severe COVID-19

NL Messina; S Germano; R McElroy; R Rudraraju; R Bonnici; LF Pittet; MR Neeland; S Nicholson; K Subbarao; N Curtis; AS Baena; JW Teo; GT de Lima; C Abreu; V Abruzzo; L Addlem; S Agius; AAR Barbosa; A Alamrousi; AA da Silva dos Santos; Y Al-Hindawi; SAD Silveira; LA da Cruz; J Anderson; A Nelly; C Anthony; AASDA dos Reis Pereira; FA de las Revillas Almajano; A Arnold; B Arrowsmith; K Azzopardi; CB Marti; T Bahaduri; S Bannister; S Barney; L Barrera; A Barriocanal; D Barros; S Barry; A Bartlett; L Batista; S Muranaka; T Baulman; M Bealing; J Beardsley; ABM Gutierrez; J Bell; S Benson; B Rym; V Bennett-Wood; N Bergant; FB Barbosa; W Bijllaardt; P Bimboese; CB de Andrade; S Blake; K Blauwendraat; W Boersma; PB Garcia; M Bonten; A Boon; A Bourke; K Bowes; L Brasil; C Brophy; R Botten; S Buchanan; J Bucholc; A Burns; E Burrell; N Bustos; B Byrne; A Byrne; E Calbo; JC Montes; B Camesella; J Campbell; A Cangas; J Carlin; MC Roque; RCP Diogo; E Carvalho; I Casas; E Castro; R Castro; H Catterick; RCD Escobar; J Chan; J Cheah; TY Chern; T Chengodu; M Ciaverella; S Clark; MAC Espindola; A Cobbledick; C Colaco; S Collopy; P Comella; M Corbett; GCE Castro

Journal article

Off-target effects of bacillus Calmette–Guérin vaccination on immune responses to SARS-CoV-2: implications for protection against severe COVID-19

NL Messina, S Germano, R McElroy, R Rudraraju, R Bonnici, LF Pittet, MR Neeland, S Nicholson, K Subbarao, N Curtis, AS Baena, JW Teo, GT de Lima, C Abreu, V Abruzzo, L Addlem, S Agius, AAR Barbosa, A Alamrousi, AA da Silva dos Santos Show all

Clinical and Translational Immunology | Published : 2022

DOI: 10.1002/cti2.1387

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Abstract

Background and objectives: Because of its beneficial off-target effects against non-mycobacterial infectious diseases, bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) vaccination might be an accessible early intervention to boost protection against novel pathogens. Multiple epidemiological studies and randomised controlled trials (RCTs) are investigating the protective effect of BCG against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Using samples from participants in a placebo-controlled RCT aiming to determine whether BCG vaccination reduces the incidence and severity of COVID-19, we investigated the immunomodulatory effects of BCG on in vitro immune responses to SARS-CoV-2. Methods: This study used peripheral bl..

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University of Melbourne Researchers

Nicole Messina Author

Laure Pittet Author

Melanie Neeland Author

Kanta Subbarao Author

Grants

Awarded by Department of Health, State Government of Victoria

Funding Acknowledgements

The Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI) leads the BRACE trial across 36 sites in five countries. It is supported by the Victorian Government's Operational Infrastructure Support Programme. The BRACE trial is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (INV-017302), the Minderoo Foundation (COV-001), Sarah and Lachlan Murdoch, the Royal Children's Hospital Foundation (2020-1263 BRACE Trial), Health Services Union NSW, the Peter Sowerby Foundation, the Ministry of Health Government of South Australia, the NAB Foundation, the Calvert-Jones Foundation, the Modara Pines Charitable Foundation, the UHG Foundation Pty Ltd, Epworth Healthcare and individual donors. NC is supported by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC; Investigator Grant GNT1197117). LFP is supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (Early Postdoc. Mobility grant number P2GEP3_178155). The Melbourne WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza is supported by the Australian Government Department of Health. KS is supported by an NHMRC Investigator grant and has received support from the Victorian Government Department of Health, Jack Ma Foundation and the A2 Milk Company.