Immune responses and antibody decay after immunization of adolescents and adults with an acellular pertussis vaccine: the APERT Study

T Le, JD Cherry, SJ Chang, MD Knoll… - Journal of Infectious …, 2004 - academic.oup.com
T Le, JD Cherry, SJ Chang, MD Knoll, ML Lee, S Barenkamp, D Bernstein, R Edelman…
Journal of Infectious Diseases, 2004academic.oup.com
As part of a prospective acellular pertussis (ACP) vaccine efficacy trial, 5 serum samples
were obtained, over an 18-month period, from 101 ACP-vaccine recipients and 99 control
subjects, to assess ACP antibody response and decay. Immunoglobulin (Ig) G and IgA
antibodies to pertussis toxin (PT), filamentous hemagglutinin (FHA), pertactin (PRN), and
fimbriae 2/3 (FIM) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay, and titers of
agglutinin were determined. Of the subjects, 16%–19% had preimmunization values of …
Abstract
As part of a prospective acellular pertussis (ACP) vaccine efficacy trial, 5 serum samples were obtained, over an 18-month period, from 101 ACP-vaccine recipients and 99 control subjects, to assess ACP antibody response and decay. Immunoglobulin (Ig) G and IgA antibodies to pertussis toxin (PT), filamentous hemagglutinin (FHA), pertactin (PRN), and fimbriae 2/3 (FIM) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay, and titers of agglutinin were determined. Of the subjects, 16%–19% had preimmunization values of antibodies to PT that were above the assay's limit of quantitation (LOQ); in contrast, 36%–63% of the subjects had preimmunization values of antibodies to FHA, PRN, or FIM that were above the LOQ. Substantial increases in titers of IgG and IgA antibodies to the 3 ACP antigens (PT, FHA, and PRN) were observed. Over the 18-months, the percent decay in IgG and IgA antibodies ranged from 56% to 73% and from 57% to 70%, respectively; the IgG antibody response and decay suggests that geometric mean titers likely remain above the LOQ for 2–9 years and above the threshold of detection for 4–13 years. These findings support the use of ACP booster immunizations for adolescents and adults, to provide sustained levels of antibody.
Oxford University Press