Does maternal BCG prime for enhanced beneficial effects of neonatal BCG in the offspring?

The early-life mortality remains high in developing countries and nearly half of under-5 deaths occur in the neonatal period.1 Neonatal sepsis caused by a range of different bacterial agents, against which specific vaccines are not available, is a leading cause of death.2 A strategy to reduce early-life infection severity is the at-birth provision of live vaccines such as Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) and Bacille Calmette-Gu érin (BCG).3 In a series of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) conducted by the Bandim Health Project (BHP, www.bandim.org) in Guinea-Bissau, BCG provided at hospital discharge a few days after birth reduced infectious disease mortality risk by 40% (95% Confidence Interval (CI): 11-60%)4, particul arly due to protection against neonatal sepsis.
Source: Journal of Infection - Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Source Type: research