title: Persistence of T-cell immune response induced by two acellular pertussis vaccines in children five years after primary vaccination.
abstract: The resurgence of pertussis suggests the need for greater efforts to understand the long-lasting protective responses induced by vaccination. In this paper we dissect the persistence of T memory responses induced by primary vaccination with two different acellular pertussis (aP) vaccines, hexavalent Hexavac® vaccine (Hexavac) (Sanofi Pasteur MSD) and Infanrix hexa® (Infanrix) (Glaxo-SmithKline Biologicals). We evaluated magnitude and duration of T-cell responses to pertussis toxin (PT) by measuring T-cell proliferation, cytokines (IL-2 and IFNγ) production and memory subsets in two groups of children 5 years after primary vaccination. Some of the enrolled children received only primary vaccination, while others had the pre-school boost dose. Positive T-cell responses to PT were detected in 36% of children. Percentage of responsive children, T-cell proliferation and CD4IL-2+ cells were significantly higher in the children primed with Hexavac than in those who received Infanrix vaccine. No major effects of the boost on PT-specific proliferation were observed. Overall, our data documented a persistence of T-cell memory against PT in a minor fraction of children 5 years after primary vaccination. The different responses induced by Hexavac and Infanrix vaccine could rely on differences in PT inactivation process or excipients/adjuvants formulations.
authors.affiliation: Anti-Infectious Immunity Unit, Department of Infectious, Parasitic and immune-mediated Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Raffaella
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Palazzo
authors.affiliation: Anti-Infectious Immunity Unit, Department of Infectious, Parasitic and immune-mediated Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Carollo
authors.affiliation: Anti-Infectious Immunity Unit, Department of Infectious, Parasitic and immune-mediated Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Manuela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bianco
authors.affiliation: Anti-Infectious Immunity Unit, Department of Infectious, Parasitic and immune-mediated Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fedele
authors.affiliation: Anti-Infectious Immunity Unit, Department of Infectious, Parasitic and immune-mediated Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Ilaria
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Schiavoni
authors.affiliation: Epidemiology Unit, Research Center, Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù, IRCSS, Roma, Italy.
authors.forename: Elisabetta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pandolfi
authors.affiliation: Paediatric Department, Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù, IRCSS, Roma, Italy.
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Villani
authors.affiliation: Epidemiology Unit, Research Center, Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù, IRCSS, Roma, Italy.
authors.forename: Alberto E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Tozzi
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Vaccinology and Mucosal Immunity and Immunobiology Clinic- Hôpital Erasme, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Françoise
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mascart
authors.affiliation: Anti-Infectious Immunity Unit, Department of Infectious, Parasitic and immune-mediated Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Clara M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Ausiello
mesh_terms: D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002648:Child; D016207:Cytokines / Q000276:immunology; D015721:Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis Vaccine / Q000276:immunology; D022681:Diphtheria-Tetanus-acellular Pertussis Vaccines / Q000276:immunology; D018073:Haemophilus Vaccines / Q000276:immunology; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007156:Immunologic Memory; D010567:Pertussis Vaccine / Q000276:immunology*; D011054:Poliovirus Vaccine, Inactivated / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D014611:Vaccination; D017778:Vaccines, Combined / Q000276:immunology; D014917:Whooping Cough / Q000517:prevention & control*
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D015721:Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis Vaccine; D022681:Diphtheria-Tetanus-acellular Pertussis Vaccines; D018073:Haemophilus Vaccines; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines; C426944:Hexavac; D010567:Pertussis Vaccine; D011054:Poliovirus Vaccine, Inactivated; D017778:Vaccines, Combined; C541235:diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis-inactivated poliovirus-Haemophilus influenzae b conjugate-hepatitis B vaccine
keywords: Acellular pertussis vaccine; Cytokines; Memory T-cell subsets; Pertussis resurgence; Proliferation; T-cell responses