Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Original Article
  • Published:

C-reactive protein levels following hepatitis B vaccine in healthy newborns

Journal of Perinatology volume 36, pages 231–234 (2016)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Objective:

Evaluate the effect of Hepatitis B vaccine (HepB) on C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in healthy term infants.

Study design:

A prospective controlled study in an academic medical center serving an inner city community. Subjects were singleton, term and late pre-term infants delivered vaginally with normal physical examination and without risk factors for or signs of sepsis. CRP levels were measured in cord blood and at the time of newborn genetic screening. The early HepB group received HepB within a few hours after birth. The late HepB group had HepB delayed until after the repeat CRP.

Result:

One hundred and eighty-two infants were enrolled (94 early HepB, 88 late HepB) with similar demographic features in each group. Neither the mean cord CRP (early HepB, 0.24±0.23 vs late HepB, 0.30±0.68 mg l−1, P=0.37) nor the median of the repeat CRP (early HepB, 2.6 (interquartile range, 1.18 to 7.03) vs late HepB, 1.7 (interquartile range, 0.73 to 5.8) mg l−1, P=0.14) showed significant differences between the two groups.

Conclusion:

HepB does not affect CRP levels in healthy term infants.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1
Figure 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Philip AG, Mills PC . Use of C-reactive protein in minimizing antibiotic exposure: experience with infants initially admitted to a well-baby nursery. Pediatrics 2000; 106 (1): E4.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Ehl S, Gering B, Bartmann P, Högel J, Pohlandt F . C-reactive protein is a useful marker for guiding duration of antibiotic therapy in suspected neonatal bacterial infection. Pediatrics 1997; 99 (2): 216–221.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Franz AR, Bauer K, Schalk A, Garland SM, Bowman ED, Rex K et al. Measurement of interleukin 8 in combination with C-reactive protein reduced unnecessary antibiotic therapy in newborn infants: a multicenter, randomized, controlled trial. Pediatrics 2004; 114 (1): 1–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Benitz WE, Han MY, Madan A, Ramachandra P . Serial serum C-reactive protein levels in the diagnosis of neonatal infection. Pediatrics 1998; 102 (4): E41.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Chiesa C, Signore F, Assumma M, Buffone E, Tramontozzi P, Osborn JF et al. Serial measurements of C-reactive protein and interleukin-6 in the immediate postnatal period: reference intervals and analysis of maternal and perinatal confounders. Clin Chem 2001; 47 (6): 1016–1022.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Forest JC, Larivière F, Dolcé P, Masson M, Nadeau L . C-reactive protein as biochemical indicator of bacterial infection in neonates. Clin Biochem 1986; 19 (3): 192–194.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Mathai E, Christopher U, Mathai M, Jana AK, Rose D, Bergstrom S . Is C-reactive protein level useful in differentiating infected from uninfected neonates among those at risk of infection? Indian Pediatr 2004; 41 (9): 895–900.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Chiesa C, Natale F, Pascone R, Osborn JF, Pacifico L, Bonci E et al. C reactive protein and procalcitonin: reference intervals for preterm and term newborns during the early neonatal period. Clin Chim Acta 2011; 412 (11–12): 1053–1059.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Christian LM, Iams JD, Porter K, Glaser R . Inflammatory responses to trivalent influenza virus vaccine among pregnant women. Vaccine 2011; 29 (48): 8982–8987.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Paine NJ, Ring C, Bosch JA, Drayson MT, Veldhuijzen van Zanten . JJCS. The time course of the inflammatory response to the Salmonella typhi vaccination. Brain Behav Immun 2013; 30: 73–79.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Pourcyrous M, Korones SB, Arheart KL, Bada HS . Primary immunization of premature infants with gestational age <35 weeks: cardiorespiratory complications and C-reactive protein responses associated with administration of single and multiple separate vaccines simultaneously. J Pediatr 2007; 151 (2): 167–172.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Celik IH, Demirel G, Canpolat FE, Erdeve O, Dilmen U . Inflammatory responses to hepatitis B virus vaccine in healthy term infants. Eur J Pediatr 2013; 172 (6): 839–842.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Mast EE, Margolis HS, Fiore AE, Brink EW, Goldstein ST, Wang SA et al. A comprehensive immunization strategy to eliminate transmission of hepatitis B virus infection in the United States: recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) part 1: immunization of infants, children, and adolescents. MMWR Recomm Rep 2005; 54 (RR-16): 1–31.

    Google Scholar 

  14. Committee on Infectious Diseases (American Academy of Pediatrics). Recommended childhood and adolescent immunization schedule—United States, 2014. Pediatrics 2014; 133 (2): 357–363.

    Google Scholar 

  15. Rossetti A, Perrone S, Bindi I, Longini M, Felici C, Proietti F et al. C-Reactive Protein in Term Newborns during the First 48 Hours of Life; [Abstract] PAS 2014. Abstract #4106.174.

  16. Gerdes JS . Diagnosis and management of bacterial infections in the neonate. Pediatr Clin North Am 2004; 51 (4): 939–959, viii–ix.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Weitkamp J-H, Aschner JL . Diagnostic use of C-reactive protein (CRP) in assessment of neonatal sepsis. Neoreviews 2005; 6 (11): e508–e515.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We would like to dedicate this manuscript to the memory of Louis I Weisberg, MD who conceived of this study. We thank Matilde Irigoyen, MD for her editorial assistance in preparing this manuscript. The study was funded by the Louis I Weisberg, MD Memorial Neonatology Research Fund.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Einstein Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    F Dapaah-Siakwan, A Gunasekaran & D L Schutzman

Authors
  1. F Dapaah-Siakwan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. A Gunasekaran
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. D L Schutzman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to D L Schutzman.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Dapaah-Siakwan, F., Gunasekaran, A. & Schutzman, D. C-reactive protein levels following hepatitis B vaccine in healthy newborns. J Perinatol 36, 231–234 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/jp.2015.160

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/jp.2015.160

Search

Advanced search

Quick links