title: Intranasal bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine dosage needs balancing between protection and lung pathology.
abstract: Intranasal vaccination may offer practical benefits and better protection against respiratory infections, including tuberculosis. In this paper, we investigated the persistence of the Mycobacterium bovis-strain bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) Pasteur, lung granuloma formation and protection against pathogenic tuberculous challenge in mice. A pronounced BCG dose-dependent granulomatous infiltration of the lungs was observed following intranasal, but not after subcutaneous, vaccination. Corresponding doses of BCG, over a 100-fold range, imparted similar protection against H37Rv challenge when comparing the intranasal and subcutaneous vaccination routes. Interestingly, a BCG dose-dependent reduction of the H37Rv challenge infection was observed in the lungs, but not in the spleens, following both intranasal and subcutaneous vaccination. In the light of the observed concurrence between the extent of granuloma formation and the level of protection of the lungs, we conclude that intranasal vaccination leading to best protective efficacy needs to be balanced with an acceptable safety margin avoiding undue pathology in the lungs.
authors.affiliation: Health Protection Agency, Porton Down, Centre for Applied Microbiology and Research, Salisbury, Wiltshire, UK.
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Tree
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Clark
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.forename: P D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Marsh
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ivanyi
mesh_terms: D000281:Administration, Intranasal; D000818:Animals; D001500:BCG Vaccine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D004306:Dose-Response Relationship, Immunologic; D005260:Female; D006099:Granuloma / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D007279:Injections, Subcutaneous; D008168:Lung / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009163:Mycobacterium bovis / Q000276:immunology*; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*
chemical_list: D001500:BCG Vaccine