Pertussis agglutinins in vaccinated children: better response with adjuvant

Abstract

SUMMARYChildren were immunized with a single batch of pertussis vaccine, either adsorbed on aluminium hydroxide or plain. With a primary course of three injections, adsorbed vaccine produced higher titres of pertussis agglutinins in the serum than did plain vaccine. There was no obvious difference in response between those who received the three doses at intervals of 1-2 months, starting at 3-4 months of age, and those in whom the third dose was delayed until about 6 months after the second, but the number of children in each group was small.

Development of Vaccine Adjuvants: A Historical Perspective

“…Variability of the potency of the alum-adjuvanted pertussis vaccines seemed to be a common problem. It was demonstrated that alum provided increased antibody titers [34], but another study showed that alum provided no advantage in protection [35]. Whereas the results with alum-adjuvanted pertussis were variable, results with alumadjvuanted DPT vaccines were more consistent and favorable.…”

Reflections on the Efficacy of Pertussis Vaccines

“…Although this contention of strain specificity has not been accepted universally [70], it wasconsidered sufficientlycompellingto warrant a changein composition (including the necessary inclusion of serotype 1-3 organisms)in Britishvaccines producedafter 1968 [3,24]. Thereis evidence that the immuneresponse to the agglutinogen 2 component hasbeengreater than that to the agglutinogen 3 componentof several vaccines used in England and Wales [71,72].This difference mayexplainthe high proportion of strain 1-3 organisms in some well-vaccinated communities. In this context it is of interest that the predominant serotype of B pertussis in England shifted from 1-3 to 1-2 subsequent to the fall in vaccine uptake in the mid-1970s [73,74].Recent reports from Finland describe a situation opposite but complementary to that in Englandand Wales.…”