title: Immunogenicity of the pentavalent rotavirus vaccine among infants in two developing countries in Asia, Bangladesh and Vietnam.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We evaluated the immunogenicity of the pentavalent rotavirus vaccine (PRV) in two GAVI-eligible Asian countries, Bangladesh and Vietnam, nested in a larger randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled efficacy trial conducted over a two-year period from 2007 through 2009.
  
  
  METHODS
  2036 infants were randomly assigned, in a 1:1 ratio, to receive three oral doses of PRV or placebo approximately at 6, 10, and 14 weeks of age. Concomitant use of EPI vaccines, including oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV) and diphtheria-tetanus-whole cell pertussis (DTwP) vaccine, was encouraged in accordance to the local EPI schedule. A total of 303 infants were evaluated for immunogenicity and blood samples were collected before the first dose (pD1) and approximately 14 days following the third dose (PD3). The seroresponse rates (≥3-fold rise from pD1 to PD3) and geometric mean titers (GMTs) were measured for anti-rotavirus immunoglobulin A (IgA) and serum neutralizing antibody (SNA) to human rotavirus serotypes G1, G2, G3, G4, and P1A[8], respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Nearly 88% of the subjects showed a ≥3-fold increase in serum anti-rotavirus IgA response in the analysis of the two countries combined. When analyzed separately, the IgA response was lower in Bangladeshi children (78.1% [95% CI: 66.0, 87.5]) than in Vietnamese children (97.0% [95% CI: 89.6, 99.6]), with a PD3 GMT of 29.1 (units/mL) and 158.5 (units/mL), respectively. In the combined population, the SNA responses to the individual serotypes tested ranged from 10 (G3) to 50 (G1) percentage points lower than the responses shown in the developed countries. However, the SNA response to G3 in Vietnamese subjects was 37.3% (95% CI: 25.8, 50.0), which was similar to the G3 response rate in developed countries.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Three oral doses of PRV were immunogenic in two GAVI-eligible Asian countries: Bangladesh and Vietnam. The GMTs of both the serum anti-rotavirus IgA and SNA responses were generally higher in Vietnamese than in Bangladeshi children. The SNA responses varied by individual serotypes and were lower than the results from developed countries. The clinical significance of these observations is not understood because an immune correlate of protection has not been established.
authors.affiliation: International Vaccine Institute, Seoul, South Korea. sunheangshin@gmail.com
authors.forename: Sunheang
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: Dang Duc
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Anh
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zaman
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yunus
authors.forename: Le Thi Phuong
authors.initials: le TP
authors.lastname: Mai
authors.forename: Vu Dinh
authors.initials: VD
authors.lastname: Thiem
authors.forename: Tasnim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Azim
authors.forename: John C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Victor
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Dallas
authors.forename: A Duncan
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Steele
authors.forename: Kathleen M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Neuzil
authors.forename: Max
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ciarlet
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D057134:Antibodies, Neutralizing / Q000097:blood; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D001459:Bangladesh; D003906:Developing Countries; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D006801:Humans; D007070:Immunoglobulin A / Q000097:blood; D007223:Infant; D010919:Placebos / Q000008:administration & dosage; D012401:Rotavirus / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012400:Rotavirus Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D022243:Rotavirus Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology*; D012703:Serotyping; D014611:Vaccination / Q000379:methods*; D014613:Vaccines, Attenuated / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology; D014744:Vietnam
chemical_list: D057134:Antibodies, Neutralizing; D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D007070:Immunoglobulin A; D010919:Placebos; C492535:RotaTeq; D022243:Rotavirus Vaccines; D014613:Vaccines, Attenuated