Table of Contents

Volume 3, Issue 2

  March/April 2007

  Pages 39 - 68

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 Issue Catalogue (MARC XML)

LETTER

Open Access Article

Is Pseudomonas aeruginosa Exotoxin A a Good Carrier Protein for Conjugate Vaccines?

Gerald Pier
Pages 39 - 40
http://dx.doi.org/10.4161/hv.3.2.3715
Abstract | PDF

Letter regarding:

Preclinical Laboratory Evaluation of a Bivalent Staphylococcus aureus Saccharide: Exotoxin A Protein Conjugate Vaccine

by Mei M. Ho, Barbara Bolgiano, Angela Martino, Satnam K. Kairo and Michael J. Corbel; Human Vaccines Volume: 2 | Issue: 3 | Pages: 89-98




RESPONSE TO LETTER

Open Access Article

Don’t Shoot the [Carrier]

Mei M. Ho, Barbara Bolgiano and Michael J. Corbel
Page 41
http://dx.doi.org/10.4161/hv.3.2.3875
Abstract | PDF

Response to Letter

Is Pseudomonas aeruginosa exotoxin A a good carrier protein for conjugate vaccines?
Gerald Pier




RESEARCH PAPERS

Open Access Article

Tick-Borne Encephalitis (TBE) Vaccination in Children: Advantage of the Rapid Immunization Schedule (i.e., days 0, 7, 21)

Ines Schoendorf, Gabor Ternak, György Oroszlàn, Uwe Nicolay, Angelika Banzhoff and Olaf Zent
Pages 42 - 47
http://dx.doi.org/10.4161/hv.3.2.3747
Abstract | PDF

Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is an important, vaccine-preventable arthropod-borne disease, causing severe illness in children too. In order to evaluate the immune response to different licensed primary immunization schedules, a total of 294 children aged 1 to 11 years of age were enrolled in a randomized, controlled, multi-center trial. The subjects were vaccinated with the pediatric formulation of a TBE vaccine (Encepur children) according to the conventional schedule (Group C; N=73, vaccination on days 0, 28 and 300), the modified conventional schedule (Group M; N=139, vaccination on days 0, 21 and 300), or the rapid schedule (Group R; N=82, vaccination on Days 0, 7 and 21). Antibody titers as measured by neutralization-test (NT) and ELISA were determined on Days 0, 42, 180, 300, and 321. The demographic data of the study groups were similar. Most subjects (97%-100%) reached an NT titer of at least 1:10 on Day 42. On Day 42, the highest NT geometric mean titers (GMTs) were reached in Group C. In Group C and Group M, titers declined up to Day 300. Until Day 300, the highest NT-GMTs were maintained in Group R, notably without a decline compared to Day 42. Group M reached titers similar to Group R on Day 42, but these titers declined by 50% up to Day 180. Similar to the NT, on Day 42 highest geometric mean concentrations (GMCs) as measured by ELISA across all groups were reached in Group C. In all groups, titers declined until Day 300. On Day 300, GMC ELISA of Group R was higher compared to Group C and Group M. To conclude, the rapid immunization schedule in children not only provides fast protection but also leads to stable titers as measured by NT for at least 300 days after vaccination.

Open Access Article

Reduced Production of RNA Transcripts from Individual DNA Plasmids Given in a Multivalent DNA Vaccine Formula

David J. Bacon and Martha Sedegah
Pages 48 - 53
http://dx.doi.org/10.4161/hv.3.2.3833
Abstract | PDF

We conducted transient transfection studies using two DNA vaccines constructs encoding two Plasmodium falciparum surface proteins, PfCSP and PfSSP2, and UM449 melanoma cells to determine transcription and translation efficiencies. Plasmids were transfected individually or in combination with an empty control plasmid with and without a functional CMV IE promoter. Western blot analysis using NSF1, a monoclonal antibody specific for PfCSP, and UM449 cell lysate revealed an abrogation in expression of PfCSP when a plasmid carrying the Pfcsp gene was co-transfected with an empty control plasmid with a functional CMV IE promoter. When a control plasmid without a functional CMV IE promoter was substituted in the expression study, normal levels of PfCSP were detected by Western blot. Total RNA was isolated following transfection and reverse transcriptase quantitative (RTQ)-PCR was performed. Levels of Pfcsp and Pfssp2 transcripts decreased significantly when co-transfected with a control plasmid containing a functional CMV IE promoter while transcript levels of Pfcsp and Pfssp2 were significantly higher in cells co-transfected with a control plasmid without a functional CMV IE promoter. The presence of multiple copies of a functional CMV IE promoter leads to a decrease in expression of malaria antigens present in a multivalent vaccine mixture when transfected in vitro.

Open Access Article

A Clinical Study to Assess the Safety and Immunogenicity of Attenuated Measles Vaccine Administered Intranasally to Healthy Adults

Jakub K. Simon, Marcela F. Pasetti, Jean-François Viret, Robert Mischler, Alma Munoz, Rosanna Lagos, Myron M. Levine and James D. Campbell
Pages 54 - 58
http://dx.doi.org/10.4161/hv.3.2.3877
Abstract | PDF

Background: Despite the availability of a safe and effective vaccine for over four decades, measles remains one of the most common infectious disease killers of children in the world. Mucosal administration of currently licensed measles vaccine has been proposed to address issues of needle safety and improve vaccine uptake.
Methods: Healthy adult volunteers were randomized to receive live-attenuated monovalent measles virus vaccine (Moraten Berna) via the standard subcutaneous (SQ) or the experimental intranasal (IN) route in a randomized, double-masked fashion. Safety, reactogenicity, immunogenicity, and shedding were assessed.
Results: Safety, reactogenicity, and viral shedding were not significantly different in the two study groups. Immunogenicity was markedly lower in the group of volunteers that received vaccine via the IN route. Plaque reduction neutralization (PRN) geometric mean titers (GMT) were 125 (95% confidence interval [CI] 68-228) milli International Units per milliliter (mIU/mL) on day 28 in recipients of IN vaccine versus 645 (95% CI 468-889) mIU/mL in recipients of vaccine SQ; p<0.001 by Mann-Whitney Rank Sum. 50 % of measles non-immune individuals mounted titers above the protective threshold of PRN 200 mIU/mL after IN administration versus 100% of volunteers who received the vaccine SQ.
Conclusion: Intranasal administration of live-attenuated measles vaccine was safe and well tolerated, but failed to mount significant immune responses when compared to subcutaneous administration. It is possible that higher doses or smaller particle size are necessary for successful intranasal measles vaccination and boosting.


Open Access Article

Post-Licensure Safety of the Meningococcal Group C Conjugate Vaccine

Nick Andrews, Julia Stowe, Elizabeth Miller and Brent Taylor
Pages 59 - 63
http://dx.doi.org/10.4161/hv.3.2.3878
Abstract | PDF

Passive surveillance reports of adverse events following meningococcal group C conjugate vaccine (MCCV) in the United Kingdom suggested a possible increased risk convulsions and purpura. To investigate this further, hospital admissions for convulsions and purpura were obtained for the period November 1999 to September 2003 in children from the South East of England and these were linked to vaccine records for MCCV, Diphtheria/Tetanus/Pertussis vaccine (DTP) and Measles/Mumps/Rubella vaccine (MMR). A total of 1,715 children with convulsions and 363 with purpura were successfully linked to vaccination records. The self-controlled case-series method was then used to investigate whether there was any epidemiological evidence of an increased risk of convulsions or purpura following vaccination. The results showed that there was no evidence of an increased relative incidence (RI) of convulsions in the two weeks following MCCV with RI estimates (95% confidence intervals) of 0.57 (0.36-0.86), 1.03 (0.62-1.69) and 0.81 (0.51-1.30) for children aged <1, 1, 2-17 years respectively. There was also no increased relative incidence of purpura in the 4 weeks following MCCV, with an overall RI of 1.15 (0.80-1.67). There was evidence of an increased risk of convulsions and idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura following MMR vaccination as previously documented.




COMMENTARY

Open Access Article

Vaccination to Prevent Herpes Zoster and Postherpetic Neuralgia

Michael N. Oxman
Pages 64 - 68
http://dx.doi.org/10.4161/hv.3.2.3746
Abstract | PDF

Absctract not available.