Thirty-five years of leaky vaccines

Area of Science:

• Vaccinology
• Epidemiologic Methods
• Mathematical Modeling

Background:

• The concept of a "leaky vaccine" has been prevalent for 35 years in scientific literature.
• Its usage is common in mathematical modeling and epidemiologic studies for vaccine evaluation.
• The term's origins are linked to early research on sporozoite malaria vaccines in the 1980s.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a historical account of the coining of the term "leaky vaccine."
• To differentiate between leaky vaccine mechanisms and all-or-none vaccine responses.
• To explore the implications of leaky vaccines on study design and population health outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Historical review of scientific literature and terminology.
• Conceptual analysis of vaccine mechanisms.
• Discussion of implications for epidemiological study design.

Main Results:

• The term "leaky vaccine" likely originated in the context of 1980s malaria vaccine research.
• Leaky vaccines differ from "all-or-none" vaccines, impacting how efficacy is measured.
• Understanding vaccine leakiness is crucial for appropriate study design and interpreting population-level effects.

Conclusions:

• The historical context of the term "leaky vaccine" is important for current research.
• Distinguishing between vaccine mechanisms (leaky vs. all-or-none) is critical for accurate evaluation.
• Further historical contributions are welcomed to fully document the term's evolution.