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Single priming dose of meningococcal group C conjugate vaccine (NeisVac-C®) in infants

Eva-Maria Poellabauer1, Borislava G Pavlova, Sandor Fritsch

  • 1Global R&D, Baxter BioScience, Industriestrasse 67, A-1220 Vienna, Austria.

Vaccine
|May 16, 2013
PubMed

Insights

A single dose of the meningococcal C conjugate (MCC) vaccine at 4 or 6 months provides strong infant protection. This simplified schedule offers a viable alternative to the current two-dose priming for broader vaccine coverage.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Vaccinology
  • Immunology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Meningococcal C conjugate (MCC) vaccines, like NeisVac-C(®), have demonstrated immunogenicity and safety since 1999.
  • Previous studies suggest a single priming dose can elicit a strong immune response, boostable later.
  • Optimizing infant immunization schedules with fewer doses can enhance acceptability and coverage without increasing costs.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the feasibility of a single NeisVac-C(®) vaccine priming dose at 4 or 6 months.
  • To compare this single-dose strategy against the licensed two-dose priming schedule (2 and 4 months).
  • To assess immune responses and seroprotection rates across different priming schedules followed by a booster.

Main Methods:

  • A randomized feasibility study comparing NeisVac-C(®) vaccination schedules.
  • Groups received either a single priming dose (at 4 or 6 months) or two priming doses (at 2 and 4 months).
  • All groups received a booster dose at 12-13 months, with serum bactericidal antibody (rSBA) titers measured at key time points.

Main Results:

  • All groups achieved high seroprotection rates (rSBA ≥ 8) one month post-priming (>99%).
  • Prior to booster, seroprotection remained above 65%, with the lowest titers in the two-dose priming group.
  • Following the booster, all groups showed excellent seroprotection (rSBA ≥ 128), with the single 4-month dose group exhibiting the highest GMT (2472).

Conclusions:

  • A single NeisVac-C(®) priming dose at 4 or 6 months induces robust immunogenicity.
  • This single-dose strategy is a feasible and valuable alternative to the current two-dose priming schedule.
  • Simplified schedules may improve infant immunization coverage and acceptability.

Keywords:
AECIDoseGCPGMTICHIUInternational Conference on HarmonizationMCCMeningococcal C conjugate vaccineTTTetanus toxoidVaccine administrationWHOWorld Health Organizationadverse eventconfidence intervalgeometric mean titergood clinical practiceinternational unitmeningococcal C conjugate vaccinerSBAserum bactericidal activity (using rabbit complement)tetanus toxoid

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