Case report
Clinical use of BCG and its complications: a case series
Colomba Claudia,
Rubino Raffaella,
Mantia Gabriele,
Guida Marascia Federica,
Abbott Michelle,
Gizzi Andrea,
Anastasia Antonio,
Palermo Gabriele,
Tolomeo Manlio,
Cascio Antonio
Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), a live, attenuated strain of Mycobacterium bovis, is the essential constituent of the vaccine against tuberculosis and the gold-standard adjuvant treatment for urothelial cancer of the bladder. Being a live, attenuated strain with a potential pathogenic action, bacilli can cause several complications, both locally near the inoculation site and remotely through blood dissemination. BCG-related disease can represent a side effect of anti-TB vaccination in patient with congenital or acquired immunodeficiency or a complication of the therapeutic schedule in oncologic patients. Herein we report five cases of BCG-related disease which occurred at the Infectious Diseases Department of the University Hospital of Palermo during a five-year period from January 2014 to December 2019.
Page 123-129 - Vol.29 N. 1 - 2021