BCG vaccination stimulates integrated organ immunity by feedback of the adaptive immune response to imprint prolonged innate antiviral resistance

Abstract

Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination can confer nonspecific protection against heterologous pathogens. However, the underlying mechanisms remain mysterious. We show that mice vaccinated intravenously with BCG exhibited reduced weight loss and/or improved viral clearance when challenged with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2 B.1.351) or PR8 influenza. Protection was first evident between 14 and 21 d post-vaccination and lasted ∼3 months. Notably, BCG induced a biphasic innate response and robust antigen-specific type 1 helper T cell (T_H1 cell) responses in the lungs. MyD88 signaling was essential for innate and T_H1 cell responses, and protection against SARS-CoV-2. Depletion of CD4⁺ T cells or interferon (IFN)-γ activity before infection obliterated innate activation and protection. Single-cell and spatial transcriptomics revealed CD4-dependent expression of IFN-stimulated genes in lung myeloid and epithelial cells. Notably, BCG also induced protection against weight loss after mouse-adapted SARS-CoV-2 BA.5, SARS-CoV and SHC014 coronavirus infections. Thus, BCG elicits integrated organ immunity, where CD4⁺ T cells feed back on tissue myeloid and epithelial cells to imprint prolonged and broad innate antiviral resistance.