Elderly people protected against respiratory infections by BCG vaccine
However, the effect of the vaccine specifically against COVID-19 has not
been demonstrated

Date:
September 1, 2020
Source:
Radboud University Medical Center
Summary:
The BCG vaccine has a broad, stimulating effect on the immune
system. BCG is frequently given to children, but a new study shows
that elderly people also benefit from it.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
The BCG vaccine, an old treatment originally developed for tuberculosis,
has a broad, stimulating effect on the immune system. This gives it an effective preventive action against various infections -- possibly also
against COVID-19.

It is frequently given to children, but in this double-blind randomized clinical study, a collaboration between Radboud University Medical Center
and the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens it was shown that elderly people also benefit from it. The results of the study are in Cell.


==========================================================================
At Radboudumc, Professor of Experimental Internal Medicine Mihai Netea is conducting research into this protective effect against various infections
by the BCG vaccine, an effect called "trained immunity." Prof. Mihai
Netea: "Two years ago we started the ACTIVATE study, with the aim of
showing whether BCG vaccination could protect against infections in
vulnerable elderly people.

Patients over 65 years of age who were admitted to hospital were
randomized to receive BCG or placebo vaccination at their discharge. We followed them for a year to see if BCG could protect them against a broad
range of infections." Study started before the pandemic The ACTIVATE
study had already started before the corona pandemic. 198 elderly people
were given either a placebo or a BCG vaccine upon discharge from the
hospital. The last follow-up was scheduled for August 2020, but due to the arrival of COVID-19, the researchers looked at the preliminary results, published today in Cell.

Protective effect There was a noticeable difference: in the placebo group, 42.3% of the elderly developed an infection, while this was the case in
only 25% of the BCG group.

It also took longer: the BCG-vaccinated participants had their first
infection on average 16 weeks after vaccination, compared to 11 weeks
for the placebo group. There was no difference in side effects.

Prof. Evangelos J. Giamarellos-Bourboulis, co-coordinator of the study at
the 4th Department of Internal Medicine at ATTIKON University Hospital:
"In addition to the clear effect of BCG vaccination on infections in
general, the most important observation was that BCG could mainly protect against respiratory infections: BCG-vaccinated elderly people had 75%
fewer respiratory infections than the elderly who received placebo."
It is unclear whether it works against the coronavirus Although
most protection seems to have been against respiratory infections of
(probably) viral origin, whether or not BCG also works against COVID-19
has not yet been demonstrated, due to the low prevalence of COVID-19
in this study. The study does show that the BCG vaccination is safe
to give to the elderly, and that it can protect them against various infections. Several studies are underway that look specifically at the
effects of BCG on COVID-19. Only these follow-up studies can provide
clarity as to whether BCG vaccination can also protect against infections
with the new coronavirus.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by
Radboud_University_Medical_Center. Note: Content may be edited for style
and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Evangelos J. Giamarellos-Bourboulis, Maria Tsilika, Simone Moorlag,
Nikolaos Antonakos, Antigone Kotsaki, Jorge Domi'nguez-Andre's,
Evdoxia Kyriazopoulou, Theologia Gkavogianni, Maria-Evangelia
Adami, Georgia Damoraki, Panagiotis Koufargyris, Athanassios
Karageorgos, Amalia Bolanou, Hans Koenen, Reinout van Crevel,
Dionyssia-Irene Droggiti, George Renieris, Antonios Papadopoulos,
Mihai G. Netea. ACTIVATE: Randomized Clinical Trial of BCG
Vaccination Against Infection in the Elderly. Cell, Aug. 31, 2020;
DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2020.08.051 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/09/200901094055.htm

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