Drug reference
bcg vaccine
live attenuated vaccine · vaccine
live attenuated vaccinevaccine
CDSCO approved
EXCRETION
—
not curated
INTERACTIONS
—
none in our sources
PREGNANCY
—
not curated
Mechanism
The Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine uses a live attenuated bovine bacillus strain, Mycobacterium bovis, which has lost its ability to cause severe disease in humans, to protect against severe forms of disseminated tuberculosis.
Indications
prevention of severe disease due to Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB)
Dosing
- Pediatric
- typically given as a single intradermal dose, often to infants near the time of birth
Related guidelines
Extrapulmonary tuberculosis
ICMR · Infectious Diseases · 2022
Cardiovascular disease prevention
ESC · Cardiology · 2021
Primary prevention of cardiovascular disease
AHA · Cardiology · 2019
Inflammatory bowel disease
OTHER · Gastroenterology · 2015
Diabetic foot — clinical management
MOHFW · Endocrinology · 2021
Other live attenuated vaccine drugs
Ask House about bcg vaccine
Continue into a citation-backed clinical answer with the drug context already attached.
Sources: Goodman & Gilman 14e·Verified: 2026-05-10 · House clinical team