Fighting the flu: The surprising power of a century-old vaccine for tuberculosis

Medical Xpress / McGill University / Nature Immunology ^ | Feb. 22, 2024 | Keila DePape / Kim A. Tran et al

[ConservativeMind]

As Canada's flu season collides with record strep A cases and ongoing COVID-19 concerns, a new study is shedding light on our understanding of respiratory immune responses. Scholars have discovered a surprising facet about a century-old vaccine for tuberculosis, Bacillus Calmette Guérin (BCG).

The study uncovered a previously unknown mechanism that extends the vaccine's shield to combat influenza A virus—the most prevalent flu strain.

"The immune interactions involved here can 'train' the lungs, which are frequently exposed to infectious agents in the environment. If we can map out the protective immune pathways involved in the lungs, this will revolutionize our conceptual and clinical approaches in developing vaccines against infections, including emergent respiratory viruses," efficacy Maziar Divangahi, a pulmonary immunologist.

[ConservativeMind]

The TB vaccine makes your body better able to fight off Type A flus through your life.

Type A flus include the worst ones, including swine and bird flus.

[ConservativeMind]

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[CheshireTheCat]

If I knew for certain I really would get the “old fashioned” formulation TB shot, I might consider it.

But since I can no longer trust Big Pharma, the healthcare industry, and my government....

[laplata]

I agree. And who knows what’s contaminating all the medicine we’re importing from China.

[MayflowerMadam]

Exactly. Trust of the healthcare industry went out the window in 2020 — for me, anyhow.

[moovova]

Couldn’t docs use this off-label?

[Seaplaner]

Correct you are, CM. Thanks as always for posting such interesting and valuable med and health info.

BTW, I got curious as to the plural of "flu" so I just looked it up. Opinion is a bit divided, but it appears to be simply "flu" as in "colds and flu".