Evaluation of combined live, attenuated respiratory syncytial virus and parainfluenza 3 virus vaccines in infants and young children

© 2004 by the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved.We evaluated a combination respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and parainfluenza 3 virus (PIV3) live, attenuated intranasal vaccine for safety, viral replication, and immunogenicity in doubly seronegative children 6–18 months old. RSV cpts-248/404 and PIV3-cp45 vaccines were combined in a dose of 105 plaque-forming units of each per 0.5-mL dose and compared with monovalent vaccines or placebo. The virus shedding pattern of RSV was not different between monovalent RSV cpts-248/404 vaccine and combination vaccine. Modest reductions in the shedding of PIV3-cp45 vaccine virus were found after the administration of RSV cpts-248/404 and PIV3-cp45 vaccine, relative to monovalent PIV3 vaccine; 16 (76%) of 21 children given combination vaccine shed PIV3-cp45 versus 11 (92%) of 12 of those given monovalent PIV3 vaccine. Both vaccines were immunogenic, and antibody responses were similar between the monovalent groups and the combination group. Combined RSV/PV3 vaccine is feasible for simultaneous administration, and further studies are warranted.Robert B. Belshe, Frances K. Newman, Edwin L. Anderson, Peter F. Wright, Ruth A. Karron,Sharon Tollefson, Frederick W. Henderson, H. Cody Meissner, Shabir Madhi, Don Roberton, Helen Marshall,Richard Loh, Peter Sly, Brian Murphy, Joanne M. Tatem, Valerie Randolph, Jill Hackell, William Gruber and Theodore F. Tsa

Phase 2 evaluation of parainfluenza type 3 cold passage mutant 45 live attenuated vaccine in healthy children 6-18 months old

© 2004 by the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved.A phase 2 evaluation of live attenuated parainfluenza type 3 (PIV3)–cold passage mutant 45 (cp45) vaccine was conducted in 380 children 6–18 months old; 226 children (59%) were seronegative for PIV3. Of the 226 seronegative children, 114 received PIV3-cp45 vaccine, and 112 received placebo. No significant difference in the occurrence of adverse events (i.e., runny nose, cough, or temperature 38°C) was noted during the 14 days after vaccination. There was no difference between groups in the occurrence of acute otitis media or serous otitis media. Paired serum samples were available for 109 of the seronegative vaccine recipients and for 110 of the seronegative placebo recipients; 84% of seronegative vaccine recipients developed a 4-fold increase in antibody titers. The geometric mean antibody titer after vaccination was 1:25 in the vaccine group and <1:4 in the placebo group. PIV3-cp45 vaccine was safe and immunogenic in seronegative children and should be evaluated for efficacy in a phase 3 field trial.Robert B. Belshe, Frances K. Newman, Theodore F. Tsai, Ruth A. Karron, Keith Reisinger, Don Roberton, Helen Marshall, Richard Schwartz, James King, Frederick W. Henderson, William Rodriguez, Joseph M. Severs, Peter F. Wright, Harry Keyserling, Geoffrey A. Weinberg, Kenneth Bromberg, Richard Loh, Peter Sly, Peter McIntyre, John B. Ziegler, Jill Hackell, Anne Deatly, Alice Georgiu, Maribel Paschalis, Shin-Lu Wu, Joanne M. Tatem, Brian Murphy and Edwin Anderso

Immunogenicity and safety of a monovalent, multicomponent acellular pertussis vaccine in 15 month-6-year-old German children : monovalent acellular pertussis vaccine study group

Immunization against pertussis has been re-recommended for healthy children in Germany in 1991. In addition the former restriction of immunizing only in the first 2 years of life was abolished. In children born before 1991 immunization rates against pertussis were 15% or less. With the new recommendations physicians are now faced with an increasing demand of parents for catch-up vaccinations in these children. Since they were immunized against diphtheria and tetanus previously monovalent pertussis vaccines are needed for this indication. Therefore a monovalent, multicomponent acellular pertussis vaccine was studied in 249 German children 15 months to 6 years of age. Three doses were administered at 6-10 week intervals. Reactogenicity and antibody responses against the vaccine antigens pertussis toxin (PT), filamentous haemagglutinin (FHA), 69-kd antigen (pertactin) and fimbriae-2 (agglutinogen) were investigated. Local and systemic reactions were minimal in frequency and severity. Antibody responses against all vaccine antigens were pronounced with 93%-100% of vaccinees demonstrating at least four fold titre rises above pre-immunization after the third dose. These findings indicate that this monovalent, multicomponent acellular pertussis vaccine with excellent immunogenicity and low reactogenicity is an appropriate candidate for closing immunization gaps in older children in countries with previously low vaccination rates against pertussis. Based on the results of this study the monovalent acellular pertussis vaccine was licensed in Germany in January 1994

Comparative study of Lederle/Takeda acellular and Lederle whole-cell pertussis-component diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccines in infants in Germany

In preparation for a large efficacy trial in Germany, a pilot study was initiated in December 1990. In this study 149 infants were enrolled; with double-blind randomization 75 received Lederle/Takeda acellular pertussis component diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine (APDT) and 74 received Lederle whole-cell pertussis component diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine (DTP). The mean age at first dose was 3.5 months, and the second and third doses followed at 6-week intervals. Reactions were relatively mild with both vaccines; in general they were less frequent following APDT. The IgG antibody responses to lymphocytosis promoting factor (LPF) and fimbriae-2 were similar in both groups whereas the responses to pertactin and filamentous haemagglutinin (FHA) were greater in APDT recipients. DTP recipients had greater responses to tetanus and diphtheria toxoids. When age of first dose was examined (8-12 weeks versus 16-20 weeks), it was found that young age had a suppressive effect on antibody responses in DTP but not APDT recipients to LPF toxoid, pertactin, fimbriae-2, and tetanus and diphtheria toxoids. High values of transplacentally acquired antibody lessened the response to LPF toxoid and tetanus toxoid in DTP recipients and to tetanus toxoid in APDT vaccinees. The IgG immune response to LPF toxoid, FHA and fimbriae-2 was found to be more uniform in APDT recipients than in DTP vaccinees. An IgA antibody response to fimbriae-2 was noted in 13% of DTP recipients but in no APDT vaccinees. The broad immunogenicity and mild reactogenicity of this APDT vaccine justifies its use in the German efficacy trial

Telehealth: Improving Access to and Quality of Pediatric Health Care

All children and adolescents deserve access to quality health care regardless of their race/ethnicity, health conditions, financial resources, or geographic location. Despite improvements over the past decades, severe disparities in the availability and access to high-quality health care for children and adolescents continue to exist throughout the United States. Economic and racial factors, geographic maldistribution of primary care pediatricians, and limited availability of pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists all contribute to inequitable access to pediatric care. Robust, comprehensive telehealth coverage is critical to improving pediatric access and quality of care and services, particularly for under-resourced populations