Pathogens (Nov 2023)

Molecular Identification of Extrapulmonary Vaccine Adverse Events after BCG in Paraffin-Embedded Specimens

  • Sylwia Brzezińska,
  • Anna Zabost,
  • Dagmara Borkowska-Tatar,
  • Magdalena Klatt,
  • Jolanta Goździk,
  • Agnieszka Dłużniewska,
  • Katarzyna Błasińska,
  • Ewa Augustynowicz-Kopeć

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens12121374
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 12, no. 12
p. 1374

Abstract

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According to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 1 million children worldwide are diagnosed with tuberculosis each year. The Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) vaccine has been used around the world for over 100 years. The complications of the BCG vaccination can occur in about 0,06% of children and include local or systemic adverse reactions. Due to the close analogy between the vaccine strain and other species of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC), molecular methods are recommended for differential diagnosis of Vaccine adverse events (VAE) after BCG. The ability to quickly and specifically identify BCG is important in view of different treatment regimens. The aim of the study was to assess the usefulness of genetic testing for Mycobacterium bovis BCG in the paraffin-embedded specimens’ methods. We describe two cases of VAE in immune-compromised children presenting with osteoarticular changes that had been clinically suspected of tuberculosis and led to molecular identification through GeneXpert, GenoType MTBC, and Spoligotyping. Results: Mycobacterium bovis BCG was detected in osteoarticular changes embedded in paraffin block of two patients. Conclusion: Genetic tests using paraffin-embedded materials allow for quick identification and differential diagnosis of patients with Tuberculosis and VAE after BCG. This is an important issue, especially in cases where the tissue has only been submitted for histopathological examination without microbiological diagnostics for tuberculosis.

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