On December 4, 2008, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved an expanded age indication for the tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid and acellular pertussis vaccine (Tdap) Boostrix (GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals, Rixensart, Belgium). Boostrix is now licensed for use in persons aged 10-64 years as a single-dose booster immunization; the vaccine initially was licensed for persons aged ...

Corynebacterium diphtheriae, the agent of diphtheria, is rarely responsible for bacteremia. However, high numbers of bacteremia have been reported in countries with extensive immunization coverage. Here, we used molecular and phenotypic tools to characterize and compare 42 invasive isolates collected in France (including New Caledonia) and Poland over a 23-year period.

Data from two Swedish pertussis vaccine trials with various combination vaccines were used to compare anti-diphtheria antitoxin concentrations over time between different vaccines, vaccine lots and vaccine schedules. The immune responses were measured with a validated ELISA method.Results are given for 1326 children, born 1992, that were recruited to the placebo (DT)-controlled Trial I which us...

In 2005, two tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid, and acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccines were licensed and recommended for use in adults and adolescents in the United States: ADACEL (sanofi pasteur, Swiftwater, Pennsylvania), which is licensed for use in persons aged 11--64 years, and BOOSTRIX (GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals, Rixensart, Belgium), which is licensed for use in persons aged 10...

We compared antibody levels following separate but simultaneous administration of diphtheria and tetanus toxoids with acellular pertussis vaccine (DTaP) containing pertussis toxoid, filamentous hemagglutinin, and pertactin (PRN); hepatitis B vaccine; and Haemophilus influenzae type b polysaccharide (polyribosylribitol phosphate; PRP) vaccine conjugated to tetanus toxoid (PRP-T) with those follo...

In 2015, a cluster of respiratory diphtheria cases was reported from KwaZulu-Natal Province in South Africa. By using whole-genome analysis, we characterized 21 Corynebacterium diphtheriae isolates collected from 20 patients and contacts during the outbreak (1 patient was infected with 2 variants of C. diphtheriae). In addition, we included 1 cutaneous isolate, 2 endocarditis isolates, and 2 ar...