BACKGROUND Pathogenic avian influenza virus (H5N1) has the potential to cause a major global pandemic in humans. Safe and effective vaccines that induce immunologic memory and broad heterotypic response are needed. METHODS AND FINDINGS Healthy adults aged 18-60 and > 60 years (n = 313 and n = 173, respectively) were randomized (1:1) to receive two primary and one booster injection of 7.5 micr...

BACKGROUND The impact of hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination campaigns on HBV epidemiology needs to be evaluated, in order to assess the long-term immunity offered by vaccines against HBV. OBJECTIVES To evaluate the current status of anti-HBV vaccine coverage among healthcare workers (HCWs) in Southern Italy, and to determine the long-term persistence of antibodies to hepatitis B surface anti...

OBJECTIVES To compare the safety and immunogenicity of a booster dose of a fully liquid diphtheria-tetanus-whole cell pertussis-hepatitis B-Haemophilus influenzae type b (DTPw-HepB-Hib) vaccine to the separate administration of commercially available DTPw and Hib vaccines in healthy toddlers. METHODS An open-label, randomized, parallel-group, Phase III study conducted at six centers in San Sa...

thimerosal, which is approximately 50% mercury by weight is a preservative widely used in vaccines since the 1930’s. it meets the requirements for a preservative as set forth by pharmacopeia challenge test and has been shown to be effective against a broad spectrum of pathogens. in july 1999, the public health service agencies and vaccine manufacturers agreed that thimerosal should be reduced o...

BACKGROUND Vaccination is an important strategy in the prevention of influenza, but immunologic response to vaccination can vary widely. Recent studies have shown an association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) levels and immune function. The purpose of this study was to determine if serum 25(OH)D level correlates with influenza vaccine immunogenicity in children and adolescents. M...

Hepatitis B is a major problem in many parts of the world. The WHO has recommended the inclusion of hepatitis B vaccines in routine immunization schedules. We wanted to compare two recombinant hepatitis B vaccines in an infant population for immunogenicity and reactogenicity when given at 6, 10, and 14 weeks of age. One hundred seventy-three infants meeting eligibility criteria were given eithe...

BACKGROUND In 2009, pregnant women were specifically targeted by a national vaccination campaign against pandemic A/H1N1 influenza virus. The objectives of the COFLUPREG study, initially set up to assess the incidence of serious forms of A/H1N1 influenza, were to assess the consequences of maternal vaccination on pregnancy outcomes and maternal seroprotection at delivery. METHODS Pregnant wom...

BACKGROUND Vaccine development for influenza A/H5N1 is an important public health priority, but H5N1 vaccines are less immunogenic than seasonal influenza vaccines. Adjuvant System 03 (AS03) markedly enhances immune responses to H5N1 vaccine antigens, but the underlying molecular mechanisms are incompletely understood. OBJECTIVE AND METHODS We compared the safety (primary endpoint), immunogen...

OBJECTIVE To compare two pediatric recombinant hepatitis B vaccines-the Engerix-B reference vaccine and the Euvax-B vaccine-in terms of immunogenicity and reactogenicity, and also to investigate their interchangeability, that is, whether a three-dose hepatitis B vaccination schedule begun with a first dose of Engerix-B could be completed with two doses of Euvax-B. METHODS This study was condu...