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Ribosomal immunotherapy for recurrent respiratory tract infections in children
Marie C Béné1, Gilbert C Faure
1Immunology Laboratory of the University Hospital, Faculty of Medicine of Nancy, Nancy, France. bene@grip.u-nancy.fr
Insights
Ribosomal mucosal vaccines effectively prevent recurrent respiratory infections in children by stimulating the immune system. These bacterial antigen-based immunotherapies reduce infection rates and antibiotic use.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Immunology
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Recurrent respiratory tract infections (RRTIs) are prevalent in children due to immature immune systems.
- RRTIs pose significant public health and economic burdens, necessitating effective prevention strategies.
- Current treatments often involve anti-inflammatory or antibacterial drugs, highlighting a need for proactive interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the efficacy of ribosomal preparations as immunotherapy for preventing RRTIs in children.
- To evaluate the safety and immune-response-triggering capabilities of these mucosal vaccines.
- To assess the impact of ribosomal vaccines on infection frequency, antibiotic consumption, and school absenteeism.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of clinical trials and in vitro/ex vivo investigations on ribosomal mucosal vaccines.
- Analysis of data on infection rates, antibacterial drug usage, and absenteeism in pediatric populations.
- Evaluation of immunological markers indicating specific and protective immune responses.
Main Results:
- Ribosomal mucosal vaccines are well-tolerated and effectively induce mucosal immune responses.
- Clinical trials demonstrate a significant reduction in the number of RRTIs and courses of antibacterials.
- Vaccine use is associated with decreased absenteeism in children.
Conclusions:
- Ribosomal mucosal vaccines are a promising immunotherapy for preventing RRTIs in children.
- These vaccines trigger specific, protective immune responses, offering a safe and effective alternative to recurrent antibiotic treatment.
- Further research supports the role of ribosomal preparations in enhancing pediatric mucosal immunity.
Abstract:
Recurrent respiratory tract infections are common in children. They reflect the immaturity of the immune system in its encounter with environmental antigens. Little or no specific protective immune response has yet been established. These infections represent an important public health problem in terms of both treatment (anti-inflammatory or antibacterial drugs for children) and economy. Immunotherapy has been proposed as a means of preventing these recurrent infections by providing children with small doses of inactive bacterial antigens liable to trigger specific and protective immune responses. Among such drugs, ribosomal preparations (to which this review is limited) appear to be not only well tolerated, but also ideally targeted to induce mucosal responses. One preparation of ribosomal mucosal vaccine is commercially available in several countries. Numerous clinical trials in the world have confirmed the positive role of this mucosal ribosomal bacterial vaccine in significantly reducing the number of infections, courses of antibacterials, and absenteeism. In vitro and ex vivo investigations have confirmed that such vaccines indeed trigger protective specific immune responses.