Skip to main content
PMC home page
Thorax logoLink to Thorax
. 2000 Jun;55(6):454–458. doi: 10.1136/thorax.55.6.454

Absence of relationship between tuberculin reactivity and atopy in BCG vaccinated young adults

E Omenaas 1, H Jentoft 1, W Vollmer 1, A Buist 1, A Gulsvik 1
PMCID: PMC1745773  PMID: 10817791

Abstract

BACKGROUND—An inverse association between tuberculin responses and atopy has been observed in Japanese children, indicating that BCG immunisation, subclinical exposure to Mycobacterium tuberculosis without clinical disease, or host characteristics may influence the T helper (Th) lymphocyte balance with decreased atopy as a result. This study was undertaken to determine whether tuberculin reactivity is inversely related to atopy in young adults vaccinated with BCG at the age of 14.
METHODS—Men and women aged 20-44 years were tested using the adrenaline-Pirquet test with Norwegian produced synthetic medium tuberculin (n = 891). In addition, their serum total and specific IgE antibodies against mite, cat, timothy grass, mould and birch were measured.
RESULTS—Of the 574 subjects with complete examinations, 64% had a positive adrenaline-Pirquet tuberculin test (⩾4 mm) and 27% exhibited IgE antibodies (⩾0.35 kU/l) to one or more of the five specific allergens. The geometric mean of total serum IgE in the population was 30.2 kU/l. Tuberculin reactivity and log IgE were not correlated (r = 0.043, p = 0.30). The mean tuberculin reactivity was 4.6 mm, 4.9 mm, and 5.0 mm in the lower, middle and upper tertile of IgE distribution (<14 kU/l, 14-61 kU/l, >61 kU/l). The prevalence of atopy, as assessed by either the presence of any of the five specific IgE antibodies or by each specific IgE antibody separately, did not differ between subjects with a positive and those with a negative tuberculin test. These results persisted after adjustment for age, sex, and smoking status in multivariate logistic regression analyses.
CONCLUSIONS—In this young adult population, BCG vaccinated at the age of 14, no significant relationship between a positive tuberculin reaction and atopy was observed. If a true relationship had been found, our study suggests that it may be limited to populations immunised in early childhood when a substantial modulation of the immune system can occur.



Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (143.9 KB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Alm J. S., Lilja G., Pershagen G., Scheynius A. Early BCG vaccination and development of atopy. Lancet. 1997 Aug 9;350(9075):400–403. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(97)02207-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bjerkedal T. Mycobacterial infections in Norway: a preliminary note on determining their identity and frequency. Am J Epidemiol. 1967 Jan;85(1):157–173. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a120672. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Cookson W. O., Moffatt M. F. Asthma: an epidemic in the absence of infection? Science. 1997 Jan 3;275(5296):41–42. doi: 10.1126/science.275.5296.41. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Farooqi I. S., Hopkin J. M. Early childhood infection and atopic disorder. Thorax. 1998 Nov;53(11):927–932. doi: 10.1136/thx.53.11.927. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Jentoft H. F., Omenaas E., Eide G. E., Gulsvik A. Tuberculin test variability: using the Norwegian Adrenaline-Pirquet method. Int J Tuberc Lung Dis. 1999 Apr;3(4):326–329. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Martinati L. C., Boner A. L. The inverse relationship between tuberculin responses and atopic disorder. Allergy. 1997 Oct;52(10):1036–1037. doi: 10.1111/j.1398-9995.1997.tb02428.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Omenaas E., Bakke P., Elsayed S., Hanoa R., Gulsvik A. Total and specific serum IgE levels in adults: relationship to sex, age and environmental factors. Clin Exp Allergy. 1994 Jun;24(6):530–539. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2222.1994.tb00950.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Prescott S. L., Macaubas C., Smallacombe T., Holt B. J., Sly P. D., Holt P. G. Development of allergen-specific T-cell memory in atopic and normal children. Lancet. 1999 Jan 16;353(9148):196–200. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(98)05104-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Romagnani S. Induction of TH1 and TH2 responses: a key role for the 'natural' immune response? Immunol Today. 1992 Oct;13(10):379–381. doi: 10.1016/0167-5699(92)90083-J. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Shirakawa T., Enomoto T., Shimazu S., Hopkin J. M. The inverse association between tuberculin responses and atopic disorder. Science. 1997 Jan 3;275(5296):77–79. doi: 10.1126/science.275.5296.77. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Silverman M. BCG vaccination and atopy--unfinished business? Lancet. 1997 Aug 9;350(9075):380–381. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(05)64130-X. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Strannegård I. L., Larsson L. O., Wennergren G., Strannegård O. Prevalence of allergy in children in relation to prior BCG vaccination and infection with atypical mycobacteria. Allergy. 1998 Mar;53(3):249–254. doi: 10.1111/j.1398-9995.1998.tb03884.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Waaler H., Galtung O., Mordal K. The risk of tuberculous infection in Norway. Bull Int Union Tuberc. 1975;50(1):5–61. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Thorax are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES