| First Author | Specht AG | Year | 2022 |
| Journal | bioRxiv | Mgi Jnum | J:324953 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:7282266 | Doi | 10.1101/2022.04.18.488640 |
| Citation | Specht AG, et al. (2022) BCG vaccination of Diversity Outbred mice induces cross-reactive antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. bioRxiv |
| abstractText | The Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine, the only vaccine against tuberculosis, induces cross-protection against pathogens unrelated to Mycobacterium, including viruses. Epidemiological studies have identified potential benefits of BCG vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 infection. While BCGâs heterologous effects have been widely attributable to trained immunity, we hypothesized BCG vaccination could induce cross-reactive antibodies against the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 Wuhan-Hu-1. The concentration of IgG reactive to SARS-CoV-2 spike protein from the sera of BCG-vaccinated, Diversity Outbred (DO) mice and C57BL/6J inbred mice was measured using ELISA. Sera from 10/15 BCG-vaccinated DO mice possessed more IgG reactive to recombinant spike protein than sera from BCG-vaccinated C57BL/6J mice and unvaccinated DO mice. Amino acid sequences common to BCG cell wall/membrane proteins and SARS-CoV-2 spike protein were identified as potential antigen candidates for future study. These results imply a humoral mechanism, influenced by genotype, by which BCG vaccination could confer immunity to SARS-CoV-2. |
