PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Zirimenya, Ludoviko
AU  - Nkurunungi, Gyaviira
AU  - Nassuuna, Jacent
AU  - Natukunda, Agnes
AU  - Mutebe, Alex
AU  - Oduru, Gloria
AU  - Kabami, Grace
AU  - Akurut, Hellen
AU  - Onen, Caroline
AU  - Namutebi, Milly
AU  - Serubanja, Joel
AU  - Nakazibwe, Esther
AU  - Akello, Florence
AU  - Tumusiime, Josephine
AU  - Sewankambo, Moses
AU  - Kiwanuka, Samuel
AU  - Kiwudhu, Fred
AU  - Kizindo, Robert
AU  - Kizza, Moses
AU  - Wajja, Anne
AU  - Cose, Stephen
AU  - Muwanga, Moses
AU  - Webb, Emily
AU  - Elliott, Alison M
ED  - ,
TI  - Impact of BCG revaccination on the response to unrelated vaccines in a Ugandan adolescent birth cohort: randomised controlled trial protocol C for the ‘POPulation differences in VACcine responses’ (POPVAC) programme
AID  - 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-040430
DP  - 2020 Dec 01
TA  - BMJ Open
PG  - e040430
VI  - 11
IP  - 2
4099  - http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/11/2/e040430.short
4100  - http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/11/2/e040430.full
SO  - BMJ Open2020 Dec 01; 11
AB  - Introduction There is evidence that BCG immunisation may protect against unrelated infectious illnesses. This has led to the postulation that administering BCG before unrelated vaccines may enhance responses to these vaccines. This might also model effects of BCG on unrelated infections.Methods and analysis To test this hypothesis, we have designed a randomised controlled trial of BCG versus no BCG immunisation to determine the effect of BCG on subsequent unrelated vaccines, among 300 adolescents (aged 13–17 years) from a Ugandan birth cohort. Our schedule will comprise three main immunisation days (week 0, week 4 and week 28): BCG (or no BCG) revaccination at week 0; yellow fever (YF-17D), oral typhoid (Ty21a) and human papillomavirus (HPV) prime at week 4; and HPV boost and tetanus/diphtheria (Td) boost at week 28. Primary outcomes are anti-YF-17D neutralising antibody titres, Salmonella typhi lipopolysaccharide-specific IgG concentration, IgG specific for L1-proteins of HPV-16/HPV-18 and tetanus and diphtheria toxoid-specific IgG concentration, all assessed at 4 weeks after immunisation with YF, Ty21a, HPV and Td, respectively. Secondary analyses will determine effects on correlates of protective immunity (where recognised correlates exist), on vaccine response waning and on whether there are differential effects on priming versus boosting immunisations. We will also conduct exploratory immunology assays among subsets of participants to further characterise effects of BCG revaccination on vaccine responses. Further analyses will assess which life course exposures influence vaccine responses in adolescence.Ethics and dissemination Ethics approval has been obtained from relevant Ugandan and UK ethics committees. Results will be shared with Uganda Ministry of Health, relevant district councils, community leaders and study participants. Further dissemination will be done through conference proceedings and publications.Trial registration number ISRCTN10482904.