History

      Albert Calmette, a French bacteriologist, and his assistant and later colleague, Camille Guérin, a veterinarian, were working at the Pasteur Institute in Lille in 1908. Their work included the subculturing of virulent strains of the tuberculosis bacillus and the testing of different culture media. They noted that a glycerin-bile-potato mixture grew bacilli that seemed less virulent. They changed the course of their research to see if repeated subculturing would produce a strain that was attenuated to be considered for use as a vaccine. Throughout World War I, the research continued until 1919 when the now non-virulent bacilli were unable to cause tuberculosis disease in research animals. They transferred to the Paris Pasteur Institute in 1919. In 1921, the BCG vaccine was developed for human use.

BCG VACCINE: It is derived from attenuated isolated strain of Mycobacterium bovis. Antigens from Mycobacteria can reach the MHC Class I processing and presentation pathway and be presented to Class I restricted cells. When heat killed strain of the organism is used it lowers the class I antigen presentation. A live attenuated strain of BCG Vaccine activates CD4+ & CD8+ T Cells.

       An intradermal injection of live attenuated vaccine is given on the lateral aspect of the arm at level of deltoid insertion, but not higher, or on the upper lateral surface of the thigh. With the exception of newborn children, any recipient of BCG vaccination should have been tested for hypersensitivity to tuberculin and found to be negative.