ReviewJournal of Korean medical science2023
Excluding Participants With Mycobacteria Infections From Clinical Trials: A Critical Consideration in Evaluating the Efficacy of BCG Against COVID-19.
Review in Journal of Korean medical science, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 3 citations in OpenAlex.
- Efficacy and safety of baihe gujin decoction as an adjunct to chemotherapy in pulmonary tuberculosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2025Pooled it
- The TRIM-cancer paradox: BCG as a programmable vaccine platform and a mechanistic probe for rational immunotherapy design.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
- Modulation of Human Macrophages by Plasma from COVID-19 Patients Following BCG Vaccination: BATTLE Trial.International journal of general medicine · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
In the context of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), a tuberculosis (TB) vaccine, has been investigated for its potential to prevent COVID-19 with conflicting outcomes. Currently, over 50 clinical trials have been conducted to assess the effectiveness of BCG in preventing COVID-19, but the results have shown considerable variations. After scrutinizing the data, it was discovered that some trials had enrolled individuals with active TB, latent TB infection, or a history of TB. This finding raises concerns about the reliability and validity of the trial outcomes. In this study, we explore the potential consequences of including these participants in clinical trials, including impaired host immunity, immune exhaustion, and the potential masking of the BCG vaccine's protective efficacy against COVID-19 by persistent mycobacterial infections. We also put forth several suggestions for future clinical trials. Our study underscores the criticality of excluding individuals with active or latent TB from clinical trials evaluating the efficacy of BCG in preventing COVID-19.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.