Toxicity of intrapleural Bacillus Calmette-Guérin treatment in animals.

The toxicity of intrapleural Tice strain Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) infection was tested in hamsters. Doses above 10(6) colony-forming units caused significant systemic infection, which could be controlled with conventional antituberculosis therapy. Living BCG in the pleural space did not prevent the healing of bronchial or vascular closures after pulmonary resection. Prophylactic intrapleural BCG (10(6) colony-forming units) significantly reduced tumor growth in the lungs of mice following i.v. injection of 5 x 10(5) syngeneic sarcoma cells. These animal experiments suggest that intrapleural BCG may be administered in the pleural space after lung resection in limited doses if followed by a complementary course of antimicrobial therapy.