The reported efficacy of BCG vaccine in preventing pulmonary tuberculosis varies from 0-80%; however, its efficacy in preventing tuberculous meningitis ranges from 52%-84%. A case-control study was conducted to assess the efficacy of BCG in preventing tuberculous meningitis in children. New cases of tuberculous meningitis, confirmed bacteriologically, were registered as cases. Controls were chi...

A cross-sectional study was conducted in April-June 1992 at the outpatient clinic of the Robert Reid Children's Hospital in Santo Domingo to assess BCG vaccination coverage and factors affecting BCG vaccination of children. A consecutive sample of 2,000 patients under 18 years of age was included in the study. The person accompanying the patient to the hospital was interviewed, using a standard...

Three thousand four hundred eighty-five BCG scar negative school children were given tuberculin test. Results showed very little non-specific reactions, suggesting BCG should produce high levels of protection in our population.

BACKGROUND Immigrants from countries with high incidence of tuberculosis (TB) are usually offered screening when they arrive to low incidence countries. The tuberculin skin test (TST) is often used. The interferon gamma release assays (IGRAs) are more specific and not affected by BCG vaccination. The aims of this study were 1. To see if there if there is a correlation between a positive IGRA (Q...

A total of 101 preterm infants between 26 and 37 weeks' gestation who received BCG vaccination at birth were evaluated between two and four months after vaccination. Altogether 32% of these infants had no visible BCG scar. All infants were then tested with tuberculin purified protein derivative (PPD) but only 70 returned for the test to be read 48-72 hours later. The test was negative in 22 (31...

BACKGROUND Failure to convert (persistent sputum and/or culture positivity) while on antituberculosis (anti-TB) treatment at the end of the second month of anti-TB therapy has been reported to be a predictor of treatment failure. Factors that could be associated with persistent bacillary positivity at the end of the second month after initiation of anti-TB treatment were assessed. METHODS A p...

BACKGROUND Treatment of recent tuberculosis infection in children aged <2 years is essential, because of high risk of progression to disease, but diagnosis is hindered by the inaccuracy of the tuberculin skin test (TST). More-accurate T cell-based tests of infection could enhance diagnosis by optimizing interpretation of the TST results. METHODS A total of 979 child tuberculosis contacts in I...

AIM to study the efficacy of BCG vaccinations, once a month for 3 consecutive months, in elderly on the prevention of acute upper respiratory tract infection (AURTI), interferon - gamma (IFN-γ) and interleukin (IL)-10 level in the BCG and placebo group and their comparison in the period of the study. METHODS an original, experimental, prospective study with randomly pre-test and post-test des...

The immune response induced by vaccination with Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) is not fully understood, and the interpretation of the tuberculin skin test (TST) is still under debate. This thesis was based on questions raised while implementing protective measures for healthcare workers and others at risk of exposure to tuberculosis (TB) in Sweden, a country where the prevalence of TB is low. Th...