Categories
Nevin Manimala Statistics

Pertussis immunization during pregnancy: assessment of the role of maternal antibodies on immune responses in term and preterm born infants

Clin Infect Dis. 2021 May 10:ciab424. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciab424. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Limited data exist on the impact of maternal Tetanus, Diphtheria, acellular Pertussis (aP) (Tdap) vaccination for preterm born infants. We report its effect at birth and on antibody-mediated immune responses to a DTaP-IPV-HB-PRP~T vaccine in preterm compared to term infants.

METHODS: Women delivering at term or prematurely were either vaccinated with a Tdap vaccine (Boostrix®, GSK) during pregnancy or not vaccinated in the last 5 years. Cord and maternal blood were collected at delivery. Infants were vaccinated with DTaP-IPV-HB-PRP~T vaccine (Hexyon®, Sanofi Pasteur) and bled before and one month after primary (8-12-16 weeks) and before and one month after booster vaccination (13 or 15 months for preterm and term respectively). Immunoglobulin G antibodies against all antigens included in DTaP-IPV-HB-PRP~T vaccine were measured (NCT02511327).

RESULTS: Cord blood Geometric Mean Concentrations (GMCs) in preterm infants from Tdap-vaccinated women were significantly higher than in term and preterm infants from unvaccinated women. A longer time interval between maternal vaccination and delivery resulted in higher cord blood GMCs in preterm infants. Equal GMCs in term and preterm infants from Tdap-vaccinated women were observed after primary vaccination. After boosting, significantly lower GMCs were seen for PT, FHA and TT in preterm compared to term infants from Tdap-vaccinated women, yet still comparable to GMCs in both term and preterm infants from unvaccinated women.

CONCLUSION: Preterm infants profit from maternal Tdap vaccination. Prematurity did not influence primary immune responses in the presence of maternal antibodies, but was associated with a lower booster immune response.

PMID:33971009 | DOI:10.1093/cid/ciab424

By Nevin Manimala

Portfolio Website for Nevin Manimala