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Interchangeability of 2 diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis vaccines in infancy

David P Greenberg1, Larry K Pickering, Shelly D Senders

  • 1University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213-2583, USA. greenbd@chplink.chp.edu

Pediatrics
|April 3, 2002
PubMed

Insights

Using mixed diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis (DTaP) vaccines in infants is safe and effective. Combining Tripedia and Infanrix vaccines for the primary immunization series showed similar safety and immunogenicity compared to using a single vaccine.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric immunology
  • Vaccinology
  • Public health

Background:

  • Four diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis (DTaP) vaccines are licensed in the US, with two commercially available.
  • While a single DTaP vaccine is recommended for the primary series, infants may receive doses from different manufacturers.
  • This study addresses the safety and immunogenicity of using mixed DTaP vaccine sequences.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of a mixed sequence of two different DTaP vaccines in infants.
  • To compare the outcomes of mixed DTaP vaccine schedules with a single-manufacturer schedule.

Main Methods:

  • A multicenter, observer-blinded, controlled study involving 449 infants.
  • Infants were randomized into three groups: a control group receiving Tripedia for all three doses, and two experimental groups receiving mixed sequences of Tripedia and Infanrix.
  • Safety was monitored closely, and antibody concentrations were measured using enzyme immunoassays.

Main Results:

  • Injection-site and systemic adverse event rates were similar across all groups, with no significant differences.
  • Infants in all groups demonstrated robust responses to DTaP antigens, achieving 97%-100% seroprotection after the primary series.
  • Mixed-sequence DTaP vaccination schedules were found to be as immunogenic, or more so, than the control schedule.

Conclusions:

  • Administering a mixed sequence of DTaP vaccines, specifically initiating with Tripedia and completing with Infanrix, is a safe and effective immunization strategy.
  • This approach provides comparable or superior immunogenicity to using a single DTaP vaccine for the entire primary series.
Abstract

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