Tuberculosis vaccine could be key to combating allergies and other ailments, according to Melbourne researchers
A vaccine to prevent a lethal infectious disease could hold the key to combating Australia's allergy epidemic.
In a world-first trial, hundreds of newborn Victorian babies will receive the tuberculosis vaccine in a bid to boost their immune system and reduce food allergies, asthma, eczema and hayfever.
Melbourne researchers believe the TB jab not only protects against the disease, but it could also inadvertently act as an anti-hygiene vaccine that counteracts children's over-clean start to life.
The vaccine, Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG), was phased out of Australian immunisation programs in the 1980s because TB was virtually eradicated.
But it could make a comeback if the trial reveals it has the capacity to reduce skyrocketing allergy rates.
The Murdoch Childrens Research Institute believes the TB vaccine could have hidden benefits that boost children's immune system, protect against allergic disease and help fight infections.
MCRI and University of Melbourne infectious disease expert Professor Nigel Curtis said the hygiene hypothesis was one theory explaining the dramatic increase in allergies in recent decades.
"The theory is that in our over-clean world babies aren't exposed to enough good bugs shortly after birth and this sets the immune system off in the wrong direction," he said.
Prof Curtis said studies had shown the BCG vaccine had amazing effects on the immune system, in addition to protecting against TB.
The vaccine appears to encourage the babies' immune system to develop in a way that is better at fighting infections and less prone to allergies. "We believe BCG is a simple, safe and well-tolerated vaccine that we could use to replace that absence of early microbial exposure or of our clean start to life," he said.
A total of 1400 babies born at the Mercy Hospital will be recruited for the trial, with 700 to receive the TB vaccine.
The BCG vaccine is still given to 120 million of the 133 million babies born in high-risk or developing countries.
To register for the trial phone (03) 9936 6042 or www.misbair.org.au
Source:
News.com.au
