9 bacteria fought by vaccines, 5 might be fought by Vitamin D
Table
| Vaccine | Pathogen | Disease | Vitamin D Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hib | H. influenzae type b | Meningitis, pneumonia | 🟡 Might fight |
| Pneumococcal | S. pneumoniae | Pneumonia, meningitis | 🟡 Might fight |
| Meningococcal | N. meningitidis | Bacterial meningitis | ⬜ Not known |
| DTaP — "P" | B. pertussis | Whooping cough | 🟡 Might fight |
| DTaP — "D" | C. diphtheriae | Diphtheria | 🟡 Might fight |
| DTaP — "T" | C. tetani | Tetanus | ⬜ Not known |
| BCG | M. tuberculosis | Tuberculosis | 🟢 Known to fight |
| Typhoid | S. typhi | Typhoid fever | ⬜ Not known |
| Cholera | V. cholerae | Cholera | ⬜ Not known |
Here's the reasoning behind each rating:
🟢 TB — strongest case by far. 1,25D stimulates autophagy, which has emerged as a mechanism critical for control of intracellular pathogens such as M. tuberculosis. Perhaps the best-known immunomodulatory pathway was described by Liu and colleagues, identifying a mechanism by which vitamin D mediates the host response to tuberculosis: activation of the toll-like receptor 2 by M. tuberculosis upregulates both CYP27B1 and the vitamin D receptor in macrophages. TB is actually the pathogen where vitamin D research began — sanatoriums used sunlight exposure as a TB treatment before antibiotics existed.
🟡 Pneumococcal. Low serum concentrations of vitamin D metabolites have been identified in patients with pneumonia, and data from intervention trials with vitamin D as an investigational drug provided mixed results, with several studies providing positive outcomes in patients with pneumonia.
🟡 Hib. As discussed earlier — indirect evidence through general respiratory bacterial defense mechanisms, cathelicidin upregulation, and the shared risk factors with vitamin D deficiency in AI/AN populations.
🟡 Pertussis & Diphtheria. Vitamin D-induced expression of the antimicrobial peptide CAMP/LL37, originally characterized for its antibacterial properties, is a key component of innate immune responses that would apply broadly to respiratory bacterial pathogens including these two.
⬜ Tetanus, Meningococcal, Typhoid, Cholera. Little or no specific research linking vitamin D to these pathogens. Tetanus is a toxin-mediated disease (the bacterium itself isn't the primary threat — its toxin is), which is a mechanistically different problem where vitamin D's immune-modulating role is less relevant.
One important caveat worth noting for VitaminDWiki: despite some positive early results from smaller RCTs and early meta-analyses, population-based Phase 3 RCTs and more recent meta-analyses have tended to yield null results, and vitamin D is still not recommended for prevention or treatment of any infectious disease by any national or international body. The observational evidence is compelling but the RCT evidence is messier — partly, as you know well, because of dosing, baseline levels, and trial design issues.
Related in VitaminDWiki
- Meningitis can probably be prevented/fought by Vitamin D
- Dickensian diseases are returning – rickets, gout, whooping cough, TB, etc. (low vitamin D)
- Severe Pertussis is 1.5 times more likely if poor vitamin D receptor
- Vaccines protect for: 10 years Tetanus, 3 years Typhoid, 6 month Influenza, unknown COVID – WSJ
- Gout, cholera, scarlet fever, TB all increasing in the UK (low vitamin D)
- Bacterial infections reduced by Vitamin D without antibiotics
Tuberculosis
- Tuberculosis, the world's most deadly infectious disease, is increasing (Note: Vitamin D fights TB)
- No tuberculosis if more than 80 ng of vitamin D (cattle)
- Latent Tuberculosis 44 percent less likely if Vitamin D more than 30 ng - 14th meta-analysis
- Tuberculosis 2.3 X more likely if low vitamin D
- Tuberculosis (multi-drug resistant) was 13.4 X more likely to be quickly cleared with Vitamin D - Meta-analysis
- Review of Tuberculosis and Vitamin D