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Immunogenicity and reactogenicity of acellular pertussis booster vaccines in children: standard pediatric versus a

Claudius U Meyer1, Pirmin Habermehl, Markus Knuf

  • 1Pediatric Immunology & Infectious Diseases, Children's Hospital, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany. meyer@mail.uni-mainz.de

Human Vaccines
|April 3, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Booster vaccination with reduced-antigen diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis (dTpa) vaccine showed similar immunogenicity to pediatric DTPa vaccine in children aged 4-6 years. The dTpa vaccine may also offer better tolerability.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Infectious Diseases
  • Vaccinology
  • Immunology

Background:

  • Booster vaccination is crucial for maintaining immunity in preschool-aged children.
  • Evaluating different vaccine formulations, such as reduced-antigen dTpa, is important for optimizing pediatric immunization schedules.
  • Previous vaccination with DTPa primes the immune system for subsequent booster doses.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the immunogenicity and reactogenicity of a reduced-antigen-content diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis (dTpa) vaccine versus a standard pediatric DTPa vaccine and an adult Td vaccine in DTPa-primed children aged 4-6 years.
  • To assess the durability of immune responses one month and 3.5 years post-vaccination.
  • To evaluate the safety profile of the evaluated vaccines.

Main Methods:

  • A comparative study involving DTPa-primed children aged 4-6 years receiving booster vaccinations with either dTpa, DTPa, or Td vaccines.
  • Immunogenicity was assessed by measuring antibody concentrations for diphtheria and tetanus, and by evaluating pertussis vaccine responses (anti-PRN).
  • Cell-mediated immunity (CMI) and solicited symptoms were monitored post-vaccination.

Main Results:

  • No significant differences were observed in diphtheria or tetanus seroprotection rates or pertussis vaccine-response rates among the vaccine groups.
  • Higher initial anti-diphtheria and anti-PRN concentrations were noted after DTPa vaccination, but these differences diminished over time.
  • A non-significant trend towards reduced reactogenicity was observed for the dTpa vaccine compared to the DTPa vaccine.

Conclusions:

  • The reduced-antigen-content dTpa vaccine is as immunogenic as the pediatric DTPa vaccine in DTPa-primed children aged 4-6 years.
  • The dTpa vaccine may be better tolerated than the DTPa vaccine in this age group.
  • Vaccine choice for preschool boosters should consider immunogenicity, durability, and reactogenicity.

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