A study prepared by scientists from the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), the University of Pittsburgh and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) seems to have found how to get the vaccine against tuberculosis (TB) be more effective: apply it differently.
According to research done on primates of the species ‘Macaca mulatta’ or Rhesus macaque, inject the vaccine directly into the bloodstream dramatically improved its effectiveness compared to subcutaneous injection which is regularly applied today.
“This offers hope,” although more safety studies are required before testing this approach in people, said Dr. Robert Seder of the NIH, one of the study’s authors, the Associated Press reports.
How they did it
They tested various ways to apply the vaccine against this disease, including a spray that the monkeys inhaled through a mask.
Six months after the vaccinations, the researchers placed the TB bacteria directly into the animals’ lungs and watched to see if they were infected. The monkeys that received the subcutaneous injection that is currently used, even at a higher dose, they were only slightly more protected than the unvaccinated animals and the dew was also not very effective.
However, in 9 out of 10 monkeys, a higher than usual dose of vaccine injected into a vein worked much better, the researchers reported in the journal “Nature.” The team found no traces of infection in six of the animals and accounted for very low levels of bacteria from the TB in the lungs of three.
For what is this? The hypothesis is that key immune cells called T lymphocytes have to fill the lungs to kill tuberculosis bacteria and can do so more quickly when the vaccine is quickly transported through the bloodstream. The tests showed more active T lymphocytes that remained in the lungs of vaccinated monkeys in the new way.
“It is certainly a hope, especially for our country that has such high rates of this disease. Nevertheless, The study is inconclusive. The sample is very small. More studies are missing”, Dr. Ivy Castillo, a pneumologist at the Risso polyclinic, told El Comercio.
“The BCG vaccine is currently used, which has many supporting studies and is used to prevent severe forms of tuberculosis. The success rate is 80% in children within their first month of life. But it can even be applied until the first year, then it loses effectiveness because it was probably exposed to the bacteria, ”adds the specialist.
For his part, Julio Cachay, an infectologist at the Ricardo Palma clinic, warns that in the indications of the product that is used today one of the main warnings is not to use it intravenously. “We will have to wait for human tests and see if it is tolerable”, He emphasizes.
Cachay recalls that TB bacteria can affect anyone, although they are often identified with overcrowded areas. “While it is a disease that is associated with malnourished people and low defenses, which are at-risk populations, Any of us is exposed. That is why you have to be alert to any alarm signal and go to a specialist to get out of doubt, ”says the doctor.
More information
User Guide:
In Peru, the technical standard states that the BCG vaccine should be applied intradermally in the newborn, in the right shoulder, during its first 24 hours of life.
Health risk
One of the main problems with TB in Peru is that patients abandon treatment as soon as they see signs of improvement in their symptoms.
Drug resistance
Due to this abandonment, patients run many risks of relapse. However, the virus becomes resistant to medication and a new type of treatment is needed.
The numbers
Nail 30,000 people are infected with tuberculosis in Peru, according to data collected by the Ministry of Health (Minsa).
About 4,700 Children under 14 in Peru have TB according to Health Partners. This association states that, of these, about 1,500 are registered.
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