Bacillus Calmette-Guérin – Infection, Transmission & Diseases
Bacillus Calmette-Guérin
Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) is a bacterium developed by Frenchmen Albert Calmette and Camille Guérin. It is used in some countries as an effective live vaccine against some forms of tuberculosis , but is also considered a promising immunotherapy in the fight against bladder cancer . Especially in children, the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin has a positive effect on the course of tuberculosis and prevents serious complications.
What is the Bacillus Calmette-Guerin?
The bacterium Bacillus Calmette-Guérin, developed through repeated breeding, belongs to the phylum Mycobacteria . The bacterium originally came from a cow that contracted tuberculosis mastitis .
After it was discovered by Edmond Nocard in 1901, the French Albert Calmette and Camille Guérin continued the research. They cultivated the strain of the mycobacterium in culture media and observed a weakening of the power of infection. From 1921, for example, the weakened virulent Bacillus Calmette-Guérin was successfully used as a live vaccine against tuberculosis and genetically further developed. The vaccination is carried out as an intracune live vaccination, but it cannot be ainfectionprevent further spread of tuberculosis germs.
Today, BCG can above allKinderprotect against some forms of tuberculosis disease. However, its effectiveness against the most common form of tuberculosis, pulmonary tuberculosis , is not sufficient in either children or adults. The BCG vaccination, on the other hand, reliably prevents complications of tuberculosis, such as miliary tuberculosis or tuberculous meningitis , which are particularly feared in children .
Occurrence, Distribution & Properties
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused by bacteria. Different types of TB bacteria cause different forms of the disease. The most common type of TB is transmitted via the respiratory tract and causes infection in the lungs . Although tuberculosis can now be cured with [antibiotics]], it can lead to life-threatening complications, especially in immunocompromised patients.
As the disease progresses, other organs such as the meninges , pleura, bones , urinary tract and skin can also be affected by the bacteria.
The contagious infectious disease is mainly transmitted by airborne droplet infection . The tuberculosis pathogen Mycobacterium bovis can also be passed on to humans through raw cow’s milk.
Around a third of the world’s population carries tuberculosis. However, a healthy immune system can prevent the onset of the disease and also protects against infection. Frequent travelers should be tested regularly by their doctor
Meaning & Function
In the medical world, the effectiveness of a BCG vaccination is now considered controversial. There are several reasons for this. The Standing Committee on Vaccination (STIKO) at the Robert Koch Institute has not recommended the use of the bacterium as a vaccine in Germany since 1998 because its effectiveness cannot be reliably proven.
The vaccination protection provided by the BCG vaccination could be proven in meta-analyses in only 50 percent of pulmonary tuberculosis in this country. The vaccine is currently no longer approved for this indication in Germany due to the side effects and complications that frequently occur .
Furthermore, altered test results could be determined in patients who were vaccinated once with the bacillus Calmette-Guérin. They often have a positive test result in the tuberculin skin test, even in cases where there is no infection with tuberculosis. In the case of those affected, only a swelling of a diameter greater than 15 mm is evaluated as positive. Because the informative value of a tuberculin skin test is limited, specialists in Germany use the gamma-interferon blood test for patients with BCG vaccination to prove an infection as an alternative.
In other countries, however, the use of the bacillus Calmette-Guérin is considered to be sensible, since the epidermiological conditions here are sometimes different. Anyone planning long-term stays in these countries should therefore be vaccinated with BCG. However, a BCG vaccination does not work in people in tropical and subtropical areas. Experts suspect that the reason for this lies in the immunity that the inhabitants have built up against the types of mycobacteria that are widespread there.
Diseases & Ailments
The bacillus Calmette-Guérin has been used successfully to combat bladder cancer since 1976. Many patients require effective immunotherapy after surgical removal of a tumor in the urinary bladder . It should prevent a possible recurrence of this disease and also stimulate the body’s own cells to fight tumors.
The cancer patient receives the prepared living BCG bacteria as a flush directly into the bladder. A BCG instillation is done through a thin catheter that runs through the urethra . After about two hours, during which the solution remains in the bladder, the catheter is removed again. Since the bacillus Calmette-Guérin causes local inflammation there , the body’s own defense cells can be activated in this way. If the patients tolerate this treatment well, a total of six BCG treatments are carried out at weekly intervals. Immunotherapy generally causes no side effects and only provokes a two-day cystitisand short flu-like symptoms, which are considered typical side effects of the treatment.
Hello! I am Lisa Newlon, and I am a medical writer and researcher with over 10 years of experience in the healthcare industry. I have a Master’s degree in Medicine, and my deep understanding of medical terminology, practices, and procedures has made me a trusted source of information in the medical world.