title: Endotoxin content in Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccine.
abstract: Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) is a major cause of bacterial meningitis among children. Hib conjugate vaccines have effectively prevented Hib infection, and routine immunization with Hib conjugate vaccine has diminished the incidence of the disease in the United States and European countries. Introduction of Hib conjugate vaccines is also required in Japan. However, endotoxin that can carry over from Gram-negative H. influenzae with a purified component may contribute to adverse events following Hib vaccination. In the present study, we examined the endotoxin content in Hib conjugate vaccines. The Hib conjugate vaccine batches, which were produced by a European vaccine manufacturer, were shown to have considerably high endotoxin activity and to vary from 13.9 to 173.7 endotoxin units/dose. These results suggest that it is necessary to monitor the endotoxin content of the vaccine batches to ensure the quality and safety of the vaccines.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bacterial Pathogenesis and Infection Control, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo 208-0011, Japan. masakio@nih.go.jp
authors.forename: Masaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ochiai
authors.forename: Michiyo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kataoka
authors.forename: Hiromi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Toyoizumi
authors.forename: Akihiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Kazunari
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kamachi
authors.forename: Yoshichika
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Arakawa
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kurata
authors.forename: Yoshinobu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Horiuchi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002648:Child; D004731:Endotoxins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity; D018073:Haemophilus Vaccines / Q000737:chemistry*; D019741:Haemophilus influenzae type b / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008033:Limulus Test; D011817:Rabbits; D013745:Tetanus Toxoid / Q000737:chemistry*; D014611:Vaccination; D018074:Vaccines, Conjugate / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D004731:Endotoxins; D018073:Haemophilus Vaccines; C055753:Haemophilus influenza type b polysaccharide vaccine-tetanus toxin conjugate; D013745:Tetanus Toxoid; D018074:Vaccines, Conjugate