Abstract
Type-specific antibodies (Ab) to Hemophilus influenzae, b (H. i.) are believed to confer protection against invasive infections by this organism. The rising incidence of Ab with age is generally cited to explain the decreasing incidence of H. i., b infections after age 3 yrs., but the antigenic experience responsible for eliciting Ab has not been defined. To investigate this question the incidence of hemagglutinating and bactericidal Ab among 4 groups of children was examined. (l) In a Day Care Center in which a 2 yr. old girl developed H. i., b meningitis, 7 of 8 of her classmates demonstrated markedly elevated Ab titers. H. i., b was cultured from the nasopharynx of only 3 of the 8 and this carriage was transient in 2 of 3 cases. In contrast, Ab titers were observed in (2) only 5 of 28 control children (2–4 yrs. old);(3) only 2 of 7 children with culture proven H. i., b otitis media; and (4) only 5 of 17 children (<4 yrs. old) hospitalized with H. i., b meningitis, epilottitis, or arthritis. These data suggest that acquisition of type-specific antibodies correlates more closely with intense exposure to H. i., infection than with clinically significant Hemophilus influenzae infection.
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Peter, G., Greenfield, S., Howie, V. et al. INFECTIOUS DISEASE: Acquisition of type-specific antibodies following exposure to Hemophilus influenzae b meningitis. Pediatr Res 5, 401 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197108000-00126
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197108000-00126