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Recurrent sterile abscesses following aluminium adjuvant-containing vaccines

Nicola P Klein1, Kathryn M Edwards, Robert C Sparks

  • 1Kaiser PermanenteVaccine Study Center, 16th Floor, One Kaiser Plaza, Oakland, California 94612, USA.

BMJ Case Reports
|June 21, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Recurrent sterile abscesses can occur after vaccination with aluminium adjuvants. This finding suggests a link between aluminium adjuvants and sterile abscesses in some children.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Vaccinology
  • Pediatrics

Background:

  • Abscess formation is a known complication of immunization, often due to vaccine contamination.
  • Sterile abscesses, though less common, have also been reported following vaccination.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To describe cases of recurrent sterile abscesses in children post-vaccination.
  • To investigate the potential association between aluminium-adjuvanted vaccines and sterile abscesses.

Main Methods:

  • Case series involving two children evaluated within the Clinical Immunization Safety Assessment (CISA) network.
  • Review of clinical history and vaccination records for patients developing sterile abscesses.

Main Results:

  • Two children developed recurrent sterile abscesses after receiving vaccines containing aluminium adjuvant.
  • Abscesses resolved without long-term complications.

Conclusions:

  • The occurrences support an association between aluminium adjuvant receipt and sterile abscess development in susceptible individuals.
  • Clinicians may consider using vaccine formulations with lower aluminium content for at-risk patients.

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