TB vaccine for infants

Heather Jaspan. © IAS/Deborah W. Campos - Commercialimage.net

The BCG vaccine against TB may increase the susceptibility of infants to infection with HIV, according to the results of a study.

The vaccine is routinely given at birth to children in countries with a high TB prevalence, for example South Africa.

But researchers in South Africa found that the vaccine also leads to increased activation of CD4 cells, the target for HIV.

The investigators believe that their findings could have implications for the BCG vaccination of children at risk of HIV, for instance those being breastfed by a mother with HIV.