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Inducing Meningococcal Meningitis Serogroup C in Mice via Intracisternal Delivery
Published on: November 5, 2019
Effectiveness of meningococcal serogroup C vaccine programmes
Ray Borrow1, Raquel Abad, Caroline Trotter
1Vaccine Evaluation Unit, Public Health England, Clinical Sciences Building, Manchester Royal Infirmary, Manchester, UK.
Vaccine
|August 13, 2013
Summary
Meningococcal serogroup C (MenC) glycoconjugate (MCC) vaccines effectively reduce disease but antibody levels wane, necessitating boosters. The need for an adolescent booster is questioned due to potential waning herd immunity.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Vaccinology
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Meningococcal serogroup C (MenC) glycoconjugate (MCC) vaccines have significantly reduced MenC disease incidence through vaccination and herd protection.
- While effective, antibody persistence from infant MCC vaccination is short-term, requiring a booster dose around 12 months of age.
- Current vaccination strategies raise questions about the necessity of an adolescent booster dose, especially if herd immunity declines.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the duration of protection offered by meningococcal serogroup C (MenC) glycoconjugate (MCC) vaccines.
- To assess the antibody persistence and immunogenicity of MCC vaccines following infant and toddler immunization schedules.
- To determine the potential need for an adolescent booster dose of MCC vaccines in light of waning immunity and herd protection.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing studies on MCC vaccine efficacy, immunogenicity, and antibody persistence.
- Analysis of antibody levels following different MCC vaccination schedules in infants and toddlers.
- Examination of the impact of herd protection and potential waning immunity on disease incidence.
Main Results:
- MCC vaccination provides short-term protection in infancy, with antibody levels declining rapidly after initial doses.
- NeisVac-C® demonstrates longer antibody persistence compared to other licensed MCC vaccines.
- A single MCC vaccine dose is sufficient for routine toddler immunization, but a booster at ~12 months is necessary.
- Waning herd protection may increase vulnerability to MenC infection in unvaccinated children.
Conclusions:
- Early infant vaccination with MCC vaccines requires a booster at ~12 months due to short-term antibody persistence.
- The longevity of antibody response varies among licensed MCC vaccines.
- The potential decline in herd immunity necessitates further investigation into the requirement for an adolescent booster dose to maintain long-term protection against MenC disease.
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