TUBERCULOSIS AND BCG VACCINE - A REVIEW

Introduction: Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a Non-moving bacillus that lacks spore and acid fast. This bacterium produces a unique compound called mycolic acid in its wall affecting the performance of the wall. The vascular wall of this bacterium offers unique properties such as hydrophobicity, having acid fast, acid resistance, openness, dryness and many antibiotics. Methods: In this review article, the databases Medline, Cochrane, Science Direct, and Google Scholar were thoroughly searched to identify the studies investigating Tuberculosis and BCG vaccine. In this review, the papers published until early January 2017 that was conducted to study the Tuberculosis and BCG vaccine were selected. In searching for the articles, those English papers were selected that had investigated Tuberculosis and BCG vaccine and its complications. Findings : The awareness of this dangerous complication, its underlying causes, and the clinical features of this disease, and paying due attention to this complication while examining infants who are taken to the doctor for the magnitude of lymph nodes adjacent to the inoculation region is of great importance for all doctors specially pediatricians. Conclusion and Discussion: For this reason, the doctors need to be aware of the dangerous, yet less prevalent, complications of BCG vaccine. When they are examining the infants, they need to conduct complete examination and examine cervical and adjacent lymph node. They should also give due attention to hepatosplenomegaly, since when there are cases of hepatosplenomegaly, the patient needs to undergo further examination for the BCG infection. Key words: Tuberculosis, BCG, vaccine