Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Archives of Disease in Childhood. Fetal and Neonatal Edition logoLink to Archives of Disease in Childhood. Fetal and Neonatal Edition
. 1999 Jan;80(1):F69–F71. doi: 10.1136/fn.80.1.f69

Antibody response to accelerated Hib immunisation in preterm infants receiving dexamethasone for chronic lung disease

M Robinson, F Campbell, P Powell, D Sims, C Thornton
PMCID: PMC1720881  PMID: 10325817

Abstract

AIM—To study the effect of dexamethasone on the routine immunisation of preterm infants with chronic lung disease.
METHODS—Serum samples were obtained before and after immunisation from an unselected cohort of 59 preterm infants. Haemophilus influenzae antibodies were measured using an ELISA method and differences in the geometric mean values between the two groups of babies analysed.
RESULTS—Sixteen infants received no dexamethasone. Before and after immunisation antibody titres for those receiving no dexamethasone were 0.16 and 4.63 mcg IgG/ml. Corresponding values for those receiving dexamethasone were 0.10 and 0.51 mcg IgG/ml, respectively.
CONCLUSION—Dexamethasone used in the treatment of chronic lung disease seems to significantly affect the antibody response of preterm infants to immunisation against Haemophilus influenzae.



Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (85.9 KB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Baraff L. J., Leake R. D., Burstyn D. G., Payne T., Cody C. L., Manclark C. R., St Geme J. W., Jr Immunologic response to early and routine DTP immunization in infants. Pediatrics. 1984 Jan;73(1):37–42. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bell F., Martin A., Blondeau C., Thornton C., Chaplais J., Finn A. Combined diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, and Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccines for primary immunisation. Arch Dis Child. 1996 Oct;75(4):298–303. doi: 10.1136/adc.75.4.298. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Booy R., Aitken S. J., Taylor S., Tudor-Williams G., Macfarlane J. A., Moxon E. R., Ashworth L. A., Mayon-White R. T., Griffiths H., Chapel H. M. Immunogenicity of combined diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis vaccine given at 2, 3, and 4 months versus 3, 5, and 9 months of age. Lancet. 1992 Feb 29;339(8792):507–510. doi: 10.1016/0140-6736(92)90336-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Booy R., Taylor S. A., Dobson S. R., Isaacs D., Sleight G., Aitken S., Griffiths H., Chapel H., Mayon-White R. T., Macfarlane J. A. Immunogenicity and safety of PRP-T conjugate vaccine given according to the British accelerated immunisation schedule. Arch Dis Child. 1992 Apr;67(4):475–478. doi: 10.1136/adc.67.4.475. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Chrousos G. P. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and immune-mediated inflammation. N Engl J Med. 1995 May 18;332(20):1351–1362. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199505183322008. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Claesson B. A., Schneerson R., Robbins J. B., Johansson J., Lagergard T., Taranger J., Bryla D., Levi L., Cramton T., Trollfors B. Protective levels of serum antibodies stimulated in infants by two injections of Haemophilus influenzae type b capsular polysaccharide-tetanus toxoid conjugate. J Pediatr. 1989 Jan;114(1):97–100. doi: 10.1016/s0022-3476(89)80611-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. D'Angio C. T., Maniscalco W. M., Pichichero M. E. Immunologic response of extremely premature infants to tetanus, Haemophilus influenzae, and polio immunizations. Pediatrics. 1995 Jul;96(1 Pt 1):18–22. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Hargreaves R. M., Slack M. P., Howard A. J., Anderson E., Ramsay M. E. Changing patterns of invasive Haemophilus influenzae disease in England and Wales after introduction of the Hib vaccination programme. BMJ. 1996 Jan 20;312(7024):160–161. doi: 10.1136/bmj.312.7024.160. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Käyhty H., Peltola H., Karanko V., Mäkelä P. H. The protective level of serum antibodies to the capsular polysaccharide of Haemophilus influenzae type b. J Infect Dis. 1983 Jun;147(6):1100–1100. doi: 10.1093/infdis/147.6.1100. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Peltola H., Käyhty H., Sivonen A., Mäkelä H. Haemophilus influenzae type b capsular polysaccharide vaccine in children: a double-blind field study of 100,000 vaccinees 3 months to 5 years of age in Finland. Pediatrics. 1977 Nov;60(5):730–737. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Peltola H., Käyhty H., Virtanen M., Mäkelä P. H. Prevention of Hemophilus influenzae type b bacteremic infections with the capsular polysaccharide vaccine. N Engl J Med. 1984 Jun 14;310(24):1561–1566. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198406143102404. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Ramsay M. E., Corbel M. J., Redhead K., Ashworth L. A., Begg N. T. Persistence of antibody after accelerated immunisation with diphtheria/tetanus/pertussis vaccine. BMJ. 1991 Jun 22;302(6791):1489–1491. doi: 10.1136/bmj.302.6791.1489. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Ramsay M. E., Rao M., Begg N. T., Redhead K., Attwell A. M. Antibody response to accelerated immunisation with diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis vaccine. Lancet. 1993 Jul 24;342(8865):203–205. doi: 10.1016/0140-6736(93)92298-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Schneerson R., Robbins J. B. Induction of serum Haemophilus influenzae type B capsular antibodies in adult volunteers fed cross-reacting Escherichia coli 075:K100:H5. N Engl J Med. 1975 May 22;292(21):1093–1096. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197505222922103. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Washburn L. K., O'Shea T. M., Gillis D. C., Block S. M., Abramson J. S. Response to Haemophilus influenzae type b conjugate vaccine in chronically ill premature infants. J Pediatr. 1993 Nov;123(5):791–794. doi: 10.1016/s0022-3476(05)80862-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Archives of Disease in Childhood. Fetal and Neonatal Edition are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES