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November 15, 2002
INTERNATIONAL IMMUNIZATION NEWS
"Antibody Persistence and Immunological Memory at Age 4 Years After Meningococcal Group C Conjugate Vaccination in Children in the United Kingdom" Journal of Infectious Diseases (www.journals.uchicago.edu/JID/home.html)
(11/01/2002) Vol. 186, No. 9, P. 1353; Borrow, Ray; Goldblatt, David; Andrews, Nick
Children were primed with two different formulations of a meningococcal group C conjugate vaccine, with either 2 micrograms or 10 micrograms of meningococcal C polysaccharide at two months, three months, and four months of age. In order to determine the antibody persistence and immunological priming of the formulations, the children were administered booster vaccines between the ages of 13 months and 16 months and again at four years with 10 micrograms of unconjugated meningococcal C polysaccharide. At four years, tests showed that geometric mean titers, concentrations of meningococcal C-specific immunoglobulin G, and concentrations of serum bactericidal antibody had dropped to levels seen before vaccination. One month after the year-four booster, meningococcal C immunoglobulin G and serum bactericidal antibody levels had risen significantly. The 2-microgram vaccination provided a greater post-booster reaction than the 10-microgram vaccination, the researchers said.
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