Immunization with bacillus Calmette-Guerin vaccine increases aortic atherosclerosis in the cholesterol-fed rabbit

New Zealand White rabbits were injected subcutaneously with either a human dose of bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine (n = 7) or saline (n = 7). A further half dose of BCG or saline was injected after a further 4 weeks. T he animals were subsequently fed a 0.25-1% cholesterol diet for 10 weeks, 8 weeks after the first injection. The rabbits were killed and perfusion fix ed with 4% paraformaldehyde. The integrated plasma cholesterol levels did n ot differ significantly between the groups (P > 0.05). Plasma levels of ant i-mycobacterial antibodies rose following BCG immunization, reaching a peak after 8 weeks (P < 0.05) compared to basal titers and the control, group. BCG immunization was also associated with increased peripheral lymphocyte a nd monocyte activation, as evidenced by increased surface expression of IL- 2 receptor (CD25) (P < 0.02) and MAC-1 (CD11b) (P < 0.05), respectively. Si gnificantly more mononuclear cells bound to the aortic endothelium of BCG i mmunized, cholesterol-fed rabbits (1.93 +/- 0.77 mononuclear cells/1000 end othelial cells) than to that of saline immunized rabbits (0.08 +/- 0.08 mon onuclear cells/1000 endothelial cells; P < 0.01). The aortic intimal:medial ratio was greater in the BCG immunized rabbits (0.19 +/- 0.08) than those treated with saline (0.04 +/- 0.03; P < 0.05). This suggests that BCG immun ization enhances peripheral leucocyte activation, aortic monocyte recruitme nt and atherogenesis in the cholesterol-fed rabbit. (C) 1999 Elsevier Scien ce Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.