Persistence of serum bactericidal antibody one year after a booster dose of either a glycoconjugate or a plain polysaccharide vaccine against serogroup C Neisseria meningitidis given to adolescents previously immunized with a glycoconjugate vaccine

• Published in: The Pediatric infectious disease journal Vol. 30; no. 11; p. e203
• Main Authors: de Whalley, Philip C S, Snape, Matthew D, Kelly, Dominic F, Banner, Carly, Lewis, Susan, Diggle, Linda, John, Tessa M, Yu, Ly-Mee, Omar, Omar, Borkowski, Astrid, Pollard, Andrew J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.11.2011
• Subjects: Adolescent; Antibodies, Bacterial - blood; Antibodies, Bacterial - immunology; Case-Control Studies; Child; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Glycoconjugates - administration & dosage; Glycoconjugates - chemistry; Glycoconjugates - immunology; Humans; Immunization, Secondary; Immunoglobulin G - blood; Immunoglobulin G - immunology; Male; Meningococcal Infections - immunology; Meningococcal Infections - prevention & control; Meningococcal Vaccines - administration & dosage; Meningococcal Vaccines - immunology; Neisseria meningitidis, Serogroup C - drug effects; Neisseria meningitidis, Serogroup C - immunology; Polysaccharides - administration & dosage; Polysaccharides - chemistry; Polysaccharides - immunology; United Kingdom; Vaccination; Vaccines, Conjugate - administration & dosage; Vaccines, Conjugate - immunology
• ISSN: 1532-0987
• DOI: 10.1097/INF.0b013e318224fb14

Bactericidal antibody induced by immunization of infants with serogroup C Neisseria meningitidis (MenC) vaccines wanes rapidly during childhood. Adolescents are at particular risk from meningococcal disease, therefore they might benefit from a booster dose of vaccine. The duration of serologic response to such a booster in adolescents is unknown. In a previous study, English schoolchildren, aged 9 to 12 years, who had received a monovalent MenC glycoconjugate vaccine in 1999-2000, were given either a plain polysaccharide vaccine (MenC-PS group, n = 150) or a glycoconjugate vaccine (MenC-CRM group, n = 95) at 13 to 15 years of age. In this follow-up study, serum bactericidal antibody titers and specific immunoglobulin G concentrations were assessed 1 year later. Results were compared with unboosted controls of similar age (control group, n = 298). Compliance with study protocol was achieved for 146 of the MenC-PS group, 92 of the MenC-CRM group, and 293 of the control group. Compared with the control group, both the MenC-PS and MenC-CRM groups had a significantly higher (P < 0.0001) geometric mean serum bactericidal antibody titers 1 year after the booster dose (geometric mean titers for MenC-PS group 3388 [95% confidence interval {CI}: 2460-4665]; MenC-CRM group 4417 [95% CI: 2951-6609]; control group 316 [95% CI: 252-396]). Specific immunoglobulin G concentration also rose and remained elevated 1 year after the booster. A booster dose of MenC vaccine given to adolescents produced a marked rise in bactericidal antibody, which remained elevated 1 year later. Introduction of an adolescent booster of MenC vaccine might provide enhanced long-term population control of the disease.