Bacillus of Calmette-Guerin (BCG)


This strain of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is utilized as a tuberculosis vaccine in many countries. It is not used in the United States, because most of the population is tuberculin-negative, and skin testing remains a useful means of identifying those at risk for developing tuberculosis. A person with a history of BCG vaccination will be skin test positive, but treatment is not indicated. A chest x-ray will confirm that they do not have active Tb.

Theoretically, children would benefit from BCG administration, because it confers a modicum of immunity and therefore converts the devastating childhood form of Tb into the milder adult form. This has caused CDC to recently modify its stance on the use of BCG in exposed children.

References

  1. MMWR 37: 663-664, 669-675, 1988. CDC Prevention Guidelines: Use of BCG vaccines in the control of tuberculosis.

  2. MMWR 39 (RR-8), 1990. Screening for tuberculosis and tuberculous infection in high-risk populations.