The goal of this clinical trial is to examine immune responses to the BCG vaccine in healthy adults who have, or who have not, taken antibiotics to deplete their gut bacteria prior to vaccination. The main question it aims to answer is: does depletion of the gut microbiota lead to impaired BCG-induced protection against specific and non-specific to challenges to the immune system?
The study is divided into two sub-studies. The first sub-study (BCG re-challenge) is an experimental medicine study in 168 healthy participants to determine if depletion of the gut microbiota leads to impaired BCG-induced protection against a subsequent Mycobacterium bovis BCG intradermal challenge. The second sub-study (Yellow Fever vaccine) has a very similar experimental design to the first but will determine if depletion of the gut microbiota leads to impaired BCG-induced protection against other infections. To assess this, participants in this sub-study (n=180) will be re-challenged after 3 months with a live attenuated viral vaccine, the Yellow Fever vaccine, which induces a mild viremia. In both sub-studies, participants will initially be randomised to receive a 3 day course of antibiotics or none (comparator group). The two groups in each sub-study will be randomised again to receive either BCG vaccine or 0.9% NaCl placebo injection in the left arm. BCG re-challenge sub-study (Sub-study 1): Six months following randomisation, all participants will receive a BCG vaccine challenge in the right arm. A punch skin biopsy will be taken of this challenge site 2 weeks after the challenge to assess M. bovis BCG bacterial load in the skin. Yellow Fever vaccine sub-study (Sub-study 2): Three months following randomisation, all participants will receive a Yellow Fever vaccine challenge in the right arm. Blood samples will be collected from Yellow Fever vaccinated participants at day 3, 5 and 7 following Yellow Fever vaccine challenge to quantify Yellow Fever viral load in blood. All participants in both sub-studies will have blood samples collected at randomisation, before each vaccination, 2 weeks after each BCG vaccination and in the Yellow Fever vaccine sub-study at day 3, 5 and 7 following Yellow Fever vaccination. Stool samples will be collected prior to randomisation, and prior to each vaccination.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
DOUBLE
Enrollment
348
0.1ml injected intradermally over the distal insertion of the deltoid muscle onto the humerus
0.5ml injected subcutaneously
500mg every 6 hours for 3 days
South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute
Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
RECRUITINGSub-study 1 BCG re-challenge
Mycobacterial load (Colony Forming Units (CFU)) in the skin biopsy site in BCG-vaccinated participants not exposed to antibiotics (BCG-No ABX) compared to BCG-vaccinated participants that were exposed to antibiotics (BCG-ABX)
Time frame: 5 years
Sub-study 2 Yellow Fever vaccine
Yellow Fever viremia (viral copies/ml blood) at D3-7 post YF vaccination in BCG-vaccinated participants not exposed to antibiotics (BCG-No ABX) compared to BCG-vaccinated participants that were exposed to antibiotics (BCG-ABX)
Time frame: 5 years
Sub-study 1 - Bacterial load
Day 0 bacterial load (16S copies/g stool) in all ABX participants vs No-ABX participants
Time frame: 5 years
Sub-study 2 - Bacterial load
Day 0 bacterial load (16S copies/g stool) in all ABX participants vs No-ABX participants
Time frame: 5 years
Sub-study 1 - Microbiota diversity
Day 0 microbiota diversity (Shannon diversity index) in all ABX participants vs No-ABX participants
Time frame: 5 years
Sub-study 2 - Microbiota diversity
Day 0 microbiota diversity (Shannon diversity index) in all ABX participants vs No-ABX participants
Time frame: 5 years
Sub-study 1 - Mycobacterial load
Mycobacterial load (CFU) in the skin biopsy site in BCG-vaccinated participants compared to placebo-vaccinated participants
Time frame: 5 years
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1000mg every 6 hours for 3 days
10mg every 8 hours
2mg tablets/capsules: 2 tablets/capsules initially, followed by 1 tablet after each loose motion, to a maximum of 8 tablets/capsules per day
Sub-study 1 - Mycobacterial IFNγ responses
IFNγ production in pg/mL following stimulation of PBMC with mycobacteria in BCG-ABX participants versus BCG-No ABX participants
Time frame: 5 years
Sub-study 1 - Mycobacterial T cell activation marker responses
% of CD69+CD137+ CD4 T cells following stimulation of PBMC with mycobacteria in BCG-ABX participants versus BCG-No ABX participants
Time frame: 5 years
Sub-study 2 - Peak viraemia
Peak viraemia (viral copies/ml blood) at D3-7 post YF vaccination in BCG-vaccinated participants compared to placebo-vaccinated participants
Time frame: 5 years
Sub-study 2 - Heterologous TNFα responses following R848 stimulation
D90 PBMC TNFα responses (pg/mL) following in vitro stimulation with viral ligand R848 in BCG-ABX participants versus BCG-No ABX participants
Time frame: 5 years
Sub-study 2 - Heterologous TNFα responses following LPS stimulation
D90 PBMC TNFα responses (pg/mL) following in vitro stimulation with bacterial ligand LPS in BCG-ABX participants versus BCG-No ABX participants
Time frame: 5 years
Sub-study 2 - Heterologous TNFα responses following fungal stimulation
D90 PBMC TNFα responses (pg/mL) following in vitro stimulation with fungal ligand heat-killed C. albicans in BCG-ABX participants versus BCG-No ABX participant
Time frame: 5 years