Abstract
139 infants who had received 1 or 2 doses of groups A and C meningococcal vaccines between 3 and 12 months of age were given bivalent A/C boosters at 2 years of age. Mean anti-A and anti-C concentrations declined by 58% and 72% from peak levels by 4 years of age. The proportions of 4 year old children with >2 μg/ml of anti-A and anti-C (a level correlated with protection) were 51% and 14%. 120 children 6-8 years of age, received 1 dose of A or C vaccine. One month post-immunization, anti-A and anti-C levels were 9.4 and 9.1 μg/ml of antibody. Four years later, anti-A and anti-C concentrations were 3.6 and 1.5 μg/ml; the proportions with >2.0 μg/ml were 81% and 40% respectively. Anti-A concentration in 16 children who had received 2 doses of A vaccine 3 years apart declined 40% from the peak within 2 years post-booster; no further decline occurred in the subsequent year. All the children had >2 μg/ml of anti-A 3 years after the booster. These data suggest that protective antibody concentrations may be induced and maintained against group A disease by a schedule of A vaccine at 3 and 6 months followed by booster at 1½ and 5 years of age. Protective anti-C levels are not achieved in infants under 18 months of age and may not persist for more than a few years in older children with presently available C vaccines.
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Lepow, M., Gold, R., Goldschneider, I. et al. PERSISTENCE OF ANTIBODY FOLLOWING IMMUNIZATION OF CHILDREN WITH GROUPS A & C MENINGOCOCCAL VACCINES. Pediatr Res 11, 502 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197704000-00794
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197704000-00794
