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Meningococcal vaccination in pregnancy
Bahaa Abu Raya1, Manish Sadarangani1,2
1a Vaccine Evaluation Center, BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia , Vancouver , BC , Canada.
Insights
Meningococcal vaccines given during pregnancy may protect young infants. More research is needed on current vaccines, like MenB and MenA, to confirm their effectiveness in preventing invasive meningococcal disease in infants.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Infectious Diseases
- Vaccinology
- Maternal Health
Background:
- Invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) is a severe infection, primarily affecting infants and young children globally.
- Vaccination during pregnancy is a proven strategy for protecting infants against other infectious diseases.
- Current meningococcal vaccines (targeting A, B, C, W, Y) have not been adequately studied in pregnant populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the existing literature on meningococcal vaccines in pregnancy.
- To identify the need for further research on modern meningococcal vaccines for maternal immunization.
- To assess the potential of maternal vaccination for infant protection against IMD.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of studies on meningococcal vaccines administered during pregnancy.
- Analysis of available data on immunogenicity and infant protection.
- Identification of research gaps concerning current vaccine formulations.
Main Results:
- Limited studies exist on meningococcal vaccines in pregnancy, with none evaluating current A, B, C, W, Y vaccines.
- Older polysaccharide vaccines show some immunogenicity but their impact on infant disease prevention is unmeasured.
- Data on MenB protein and MenA conjugate vaccines in pregnancy is lacking.
Conclusions:
- Maternal vaccination is a potential strategy to protect young infants from IMD.
- Further studies are essential, particularly for MenB protein and MenA conjugate vaccines.
- Research is needed to measure the impact of maternal vaccination on infant IMD rates.
Abstract:
Invasive meningococcal disease causes meningitis and septicemia worldwide with highest rates of disease occurring in children <2 years of age, and in particular young infants. Vaccination during pregnancy has been a successful strategy for prevention of other infections in young infants, most notably tetanus, pertussis and influenza. However, few studies of meningococcal vaccines in pregnancy have been undertaken, and none include the most commonly used current vaccines to prevent disease by capsular groups A, B, C, W and Y. The limited data suggest that the older polysaccharide vaccines are immunogenic, but the impact on prevention of infant disease has not been measured. Further studies of MenB protein vaccines and MenA protein-polysaccharide conjugate vaccines in particular are needed if vaccination in pregnancy is to be utilized as an approach to prevention of meningococcal disease in young infants.
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