Clinical Characteristics and Immunogenetics of BCGosis/BCGitis in Chinese Children: A 6 Year Follow-Up Study

In this study, the clinical and immunogenetical features in a cohort of Chinese patients with BCGosis/BCGitis were investigated. For the patients with abnormal immunological functions, Sanger sequencing was used to identify the involved genes. There were 74 confirmed cases of BCGosis/BCGitis during 2007-2012. Classified by infected tissues and organs, no cases only had local infection, 39 patients had a regional infection, 21 patients had a distant infection and 14 patients had a disseminated infection. Thirty-two patients (43.2%) had definitive primary immunodeficiency diseases (PID) and chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) is the most common PID (n = 23, accounted for 71.9% of all PID patients). For CGD patients, based on the anti-tuberculosis treatment, administration of rhIFN-gamma resulted in better control of BCGosis/BCGitis. The results indicate that PIDs are associated with susceptibility to BCG disease. For children with BCGosis/BCGitis, immune function evaluation is necessary, and IFN-gamma treatment for BCGosis/BCGitis patients with CGD is effective.