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. 2021 Feb 8;7(1):96–113. doi: 10.3934/microbiol.2021007

Table 1. Overview of the non-specific effects of the BCG vaccine on human viral infections.

Virus Study type Effect of BCG recorded Reference Sample size
Yellow fever virus (YFV) Randomized controlled trial (RCT) Reduction in yellow fever vaccine viraemia, which was positively associated with IL-1ß production Arts et al. [36] -
Human Papilloma virus (HPV) Randomized controlled trial (RCT) Improved clearance of the HPV caused viral warts Salem et al. [24] 80 participants (randomized into 40 test and 40 control subjects)
Randomized controlled trial (RCT) Podder et al. [25] 60 participants (randomized into 33 participants in BCG group and 27 in tuberculin purified protein group
Case series Daulatabad et al. [26] 7 cases (wart regression seen in 85.7% of patients and complete resolution in 28.6%)
Respiratory syncytial virus (RCV) Case-control study Fewer cases of RSV infection in BCG vaccinated children in Guinea-Bissau Stensballe et al. [21] 386 cases (participants with lower respiratory tract infections were more likely to be BCG unvaccinated i.e. higher odds ratio)
Influenza virus type A (H1N1) Randomized controlled trial (RCT) Improved immunogenicity of the H1N1 vaccine, manifesting as increased H1N1 antibody production Leentjens et al. [32] 40 participants (randomized into 20 test and 20 control subjects)
Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) Case series Reduced episodes of HSV infection recurrence Anderson et al. [37] 15 cases
Case series Hippman et al. [38] 109 cases (all participants remained herpes-free for 4–6 months, 21% after 3 years and 10% after 6 years)