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From data to policy: two-dose meningococcal vaccine series are highly immunogenic

Pediatric Research volume 97, pages 1761–1762 (2025)Cite this article

On behalf of the Pediatric Policy Council: David Keller (Chair), Mona Patel, Maya Ragavan, Scott Lorch, Lisa Chamberlain, Tina Cheng, Ann Reed, Joyce Javier & Ashwini Lakshmanan.

In this month’s issue of Pediatric Research, Peterson and colleagues report results from a subanalysis of an ongoing phase III trial to assess the immunogenicity and safety of a booster dose of meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MenACWY-TT) administered to adolescents 3–6 years after receiving an initial dose of either the study vaccine or a different formulation of meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV4-CRM) between ages 10 and 12 years old.1 Prior to the booster dose most adolescents retained titers of at least 1:8—the level commonly considered as a correlate of vaccine efficacy2—against all 4 meningococcal serotypes. After administration of the MenACWY-TT booster dose, >99% of participants had seroprotective antibody titers against all 4 meningococcal serotypes regardless of the initial type of meningococcal vaccine received. This suggests that even if participants did not have seroprotective antibody titers at the time of the booster dose, they had developed immunological memory that led to a rapid anamnestic response to repeat stimulation with the meningococcal antigens.3 Ultimately, this study helps to support the meningococcal vaccine schedule during adolescence that is recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and is just one example of the types of evidence-based studies that inform vaccine guidelines.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, and Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA

    Adam Z. Blatt & Michael J. Smith

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  1. Adam Z. Blatt
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  2. Michael J. Smith
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Correspondence to Michael J. Smith.

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M.J.S. has received funding paid to the institution from Pfizer for vaccine clinical trials.

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Blatt, A.Z., Smith, M.J. From data to policy: two-dose meningococcal vaccine series are highly immunogenic. Pediatr Res 97, 1761–1762 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41390-025-03940-2

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