Why do bcg injections scar

They observed scar positivity in They found a significant difference in scar size in group A as compared to groups B and C. The mean TST reaction also was significantly higher in infants who received 0. The authors therefore concluded that dose of BCG in neonates should be 0. Tuberculin skin test positivity at 12 weeks following BCG was It has been shown that tuberculin positivity increased significantly when repeated at 1 year in infants who were tuberculin negative at 3 months post vaccination.

Faridi m in their study concluded that TST is not a reliable indicator to assess BCG response either at 12 weeks or 6 months although they demonstrated a higher positivity at 6 month as compared to 12 weeks. Similar observations were made by Gupta et al.

The absence of scar should not remain a mere observation of parents but should be part of health surveys. Presently there is no universal recommendation for BCG vaccination in scar negative infants.

Infants who fail to develop a scar is a matter of concern and whether these infants need to be followed and evaluated remain unresolved. Recent studies[ 5 , 6 ] have suggested that BCG scar and positive tuberculin tests are associated with better survival in early childhood in countries with high child hood mortality. The beneficial effect of BCG is attributed to the non-specific enhancement of both antibody and cellular immune responses.

There is a need for proper evaluation and monitoring of the BCG vaccination programs. Small sample size is a key limitation of the study. Moreover, we have followed up the infants up to 12 weeks only and done a single tuberculin test. It is possible that positivity of scar as well as TST might have increased if we had longer follow up at least for 6 months. Majority of infants BCG scar formation was not affected by age or gender. There was moderate positive but highly significant correlation between scar size and TST reaction size.

Larger studies to reveal the true magnitude of the problem and regular evaluation of BCG vaccination programs are recommended. The finding of BCG scar associated with reduced childhood mortality need to be evaluated in further research in developing countries. Source of Support: Nil. Conflict of Interest: None declared. National Center for Biotechnology Information , U.

J Family Med Prim Care. Sara S. Dhanawade , 1 Suhas G. Kumbhar , 1 Alka D. Gore , 2 and Vijay N. Patil 1. Suhas G. Alka D. Vijay N. Author information Copyright and License information Disclaimer. Address for correspondence: Dr. E-mail: moc. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3. Perhaps it could be related to some unrecognized fault of inoculation technique, but such an explanation is unlikely since the success rate is high both in primary inoculation and in second inoculation of failed cases.

The answer to the question is already available in Dr. Obviously, babies are responding normally to the second inoculation, which proves that it is the right strategy. Had these infants been immune, they would have exhibited accelerated response and as stated earlier I assume that was not the case. There are the two possibilities once again, namely, no immune response or no scar in spite of immune response.

I am a believer in our own experience as our guide, provided we interpret our results thoughtfully. No, it is not mandatory to do Mantoux test before reinoculation of BCG in preschoolers who have a history of BCG inoculation, but no scar. Scientifically speaking, it would be ideal to test them with PPD and to classify them as those with no response meaning no prior immune response , with positive response but induration of 5 to 10 mm most probably immune response due to earlier BCG or induration of 15 mm or more most probably infected with Myco-bacterium tuberculosis.

If you're worried that your or your child's skin reaction is abnormal or that the spot may have become infected, contact a GP. Serious side effects from the BCG vaccine, such as a serious allergic reaction anaphylactic reaction , are very rare. Anyone who has an allergic reaction to a vaccine recovers completely with no lasting effects if they're treated promptly.

The Yellow Card Scheme allows you to report suspected side effects from a vaccine. Find out more about the BCG vaccine.

Page last reviewed: 23 April Next review due: 23 April Source: Berendsen MLT, et al. Read next. February 13, Receive an email when new articles are posted on. Please provide your email address to receive an email when new articles are posted on.

You've successfully added to your alerts.