title: Immune responses to pertussis antigens in infants and toddlers after immunization with multicomponent acellular pertussis vaccine.
abstract: Given the resurgence of pertussis despite high rates of vaccination with the diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis (DTaP) vaccine, a better understanding of vaccine-induced immune responses to Bordetella pertussis is needed. We investigated the antibody, cell-mediated, and cytokine responses to B. pertussis antigens in children who received the primary vaccination series (at 2, 4, and 6 months) and first booster vaccination (at 15 to 18 months) with 5-component acellular pertussis (aP) vaccine. The majority of subjects demonstrated a 4-fold increase in antibody titer to all four pertussis antigens (pertussis toxin [PT], pertactin [PRN], filamentous hemagglutinin [FHA], and fimbriae [FIM]) following the primary series and booster vaccination. Following the primary vaccine series, the majority of subjects (52 to 67%) mounted a positive T cell proliferative response (stimulation index of ≥ 3) to the PT and PRN antigens, while few subjects (7 to 12%) mounted positive proliferative responses to FHA and FIM. One month after booster vaccination (age 16 to 19 months), our study revealed significant increase in gamma interferon (IFN-γ) production in response to the PT and FIM antigens, a significant increase in IL-2 production with the PT, FHA, and PRN antigens, and a lack of significant interleukin-4 (IL-4) secretion with any of the antigens. While previous reports documented a mixed Th1/Th2 or Th2-skewed response to DTaP vaccine in children, our data suggest that following the first DTaP booster, children aged 16 to 19 months have a cytokine profile consistent with a Th1 response, which is known to be essential for clearance of pertussis infection. To better define aP-induced immune responses following the booster vaccine, further studies are needed to assess cytokine responses pre- and postbooster in DTaP recipients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, USA olajumoke.o.fadugba@vanderbilt.edu natasha.halasa@vanderbilt.edu.
authors.forename: Olajumoke O
authors.initials: OO
authors.lastname: Fadugba
authors.affiliation: Departments of Biostatistics and Biomedical Informatics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Departments of Biostatistics and Biomedical Informatics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
authors.forename: Qingxia
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, USA olajumoke.o.fadugba@vanderbilt.edu natasha.halasa@vanderbilt.edu.
authors.forename: Natasha B
authors.initials: NB
authors.lastname: Halasa
mesh_terms: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood*; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology*; D001886:Bordetella pertussis / Q000276:immunology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D022681:Diphtheria-Tetanus-acellular Pertussis Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D014611:Vaccination; D014917:Whooping Cough / Q000517:prevention & control
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D022681:Diphtheria-Tetanus-acellular Pertussis Vaccines