Abstract
Twelve normal and sixteen malnourished (total calorie). children (6 with <3%, 5 with <10% and 5 with <25% malnourishment) over 2 years of age were vaccinated with pneumococcal vaccine containing 14 types of purified capsular polysaccharides. Pre and 2 to 3 weeks post-vaccination sera were obtained and assayed for antibody production against 12 capsular types by means of radioimmunoassay. Geometric mean antibody titers (GMT's) before immunization were comparable between the control subjects and children with various degrees of malnourishment. Control subjects responded well to all capsular types (with the exception of type 6A and 19F known to be nonimmunogenic in the particular lot). Similarly malnourished children, irrespective of the degree of malnourishment showed a comparable level of antibody response to the same capsular polysaccharide types. Thus total calorie malnutrition - up to 25% - does not impair antibody production to pneumococcal polysaccharides and can be safely and effectively used in the protection of these children.
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Fikrig, S., Gerald Schiffman, I. 1092 ANTIBODY RESPONSE TO PNEUMOCOCCAL VACCINE IN MALNOURISHED CHILDREN. Pediatr Res 19, 292 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198504000-01122
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198504000-01122