Injection of an Ascaris suum extract (Asc) affects both the humoral and cellular immune responses to unrelated antigens when it is co-administered with these antigens. In the present study we evaluated the effect of Asc on macrophage activation in the early phase of Mycobacterium bovis BCG (Pasteur strain TMCC 1173) infection in C57Bl/6 mice. C57Bl/6 mice were injected intraperitoneally (ip) wi...

For more than 70 years, Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccines have been administered safely to billions of individuals throughout the world. Local adverse reactions following BCG vaccination usually occur at a rate of 0.1 to 0.5 per 1000 vaccinations, and serious, disseminated complications occur at a rate of less than 1 in a million vaccinations [1]. Physicians should be aware of the various...

The use of tumor necrosis factor inhibitors for the treatment of patients with psoriasis has been related to a higher incidence of tuberculosis, specially the disseminated and extrapulmonary forms. Despite their efficacy, these drugs increase the risk of reactivating latent tuberculosis infection, thus requiring diagnosis of the condition before their administration. Investigation of latent tub...

The development of an effective vaccine against tuberculosis (Tb) represents one of the major medical challenges of this century. Mycobacterium bovis Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG), the only vaccine available at present, is mostly effective at preventing disseminated Tb in children, but shows variable protection against pulmonary Tb, the most common form in adults. The reasons for this poor effi...

The effect of exposure to diesel exhaust particulate (DEP) on bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) lung infection in mice was studied. C57Bl/6J female mice were infected with BCG (2.5 x 104 bacteria/mouse) by intrapulmonary instillation, with or without coadministration of DEP (100 microg/mouse). Five weeks later, mice exposed to DEP + BCG had about a four-fold higher BCG load in the lungs than mice ...

Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), which elicits a degree of protective immunity against tuberculosis, is the most widely used vaccine in the world. Due to its persistence and immunogenicity, BCG has been proposed as a vector for vaccines against other infections, including HIV-1. BCG has a very good safety record, although it can cause disseminated disease in immunocompromised...

A 17-year-old boy presented with a four-week history of neck pain, difficulty chewing and deviation of his tongue to the right. On examination there was tenderness of the mid-cervical spine and a right XII nerve palsy. A 6 cm lesion was noted over the left deltoid (Figure 1). There was no lymphadenopathy or splenomegaly. Blood tests were normal apart fromESR 44 mm/h andCRP 83mg/L. Cervical spin...