Genetic diversity of clinical Mycobacterium bovis BCG isolates from an immunocompromised patient with BCG infection.

BACKGROUND

The Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine is widely administered to prevent severe tuberculosis but can cause serious adverse events, including disseminated BCGosis, in immunocompromised individuals. However, studies investigating the in vivo genetic adaptation and microevolution of this live-attenuated vaccine during prolonged infection remain limited.

METHODS

Two clinical Mycobacterium bovis BCG isolates (BCG01 and BCG02) and a lot-matched vaccine strain (VAC) underwent whole-genome sequencing. Phenotypic drug susceptibility testing was performed on the clinical isolates. Genomic relatedness was assessed using SNP-distance clustering and maximum-likelihood phylogeny against global reference strains. Comparative variant analysis was performed to identify mutations specific to BCG01 and BCG02 relative to VAC, and genotypic drug resistance was assessed using TB-Profiler.

RESULTS

Phylogenomic analyses and SNP distance confirmed that both clinical isolates were derived from the BCG Tokyo 172 vaccine strain. BCG02 exhibited twice the mutational burden of BCG01, acquiring mutations in genes associated with cell wall biosynthesis (mas, ppsA), regulatory adaptation (pknK, dnaA), and surface antigens (pecA, PE/PPE). Crucially, whereas BCG01 remained susceptible to first-line drugs, BCG02 acquired a canonical rpoB Ser450Leu mutation (100% frequency) and a heteroresistant inhA Ile194Thr mutation (13% frequency), resulting in multidrug-resistant (MDR) BCGosis.

CONCLUSION

Although structurally stable, the BCG Tokyo 172 vaccine strain can undergo rapid, clinically significant microevolution and clonal selection within immunocompromised hosts. The in vivo acquisition of multidrug resistance underscores the critical need for pre-vaccination immune screening and comprehensive laboratory monitoring of BCG-associated adverse events.