Impact of Helminth Infections during Pregnancy on Vaccine Immunogenicity in Gabonese Infants
Helminth infections are common in sub-Saharan Africa. Besides direct clinical effects, a bias towards a T helper type 2 (Th2) cell immune response is observed. The consequences of parasite infection during pregnancy for the mother and particularly for the fetus and the newborn can be severe and may...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2020-07-01
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| Series: | Vaccines |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/8/3/381 |
| _version_ | 1797562705697046528 |
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| author | Judith Flügge Ayôla Akim Adegnika Yabo Josiane Honkpehedji Thaisa L. Sandri Esther Askani Gédéon Prince Manouana Marguerite Massinga Loembe Sina Brückner Mohamed Duali Johannes Strunk Benjamin Mordmüller Selidji Todagbe Agnandji Bertrand Lell Peter G. Kremsner Meral Esen |
| author_facet | Judith Flügge Ayôla Akim Adegnika Yabo Josiane Honkpehedji Thaisa L. Sandri Esther Askani Gédéon Prince Manouana Marguerite Massinga Loembe Sina Brückner Mohamed Duali Johannes Strunk Benjamin Mordmüller Selidji Todagbe Agnandji Bertrand Lell Peter G. Kremsner Meral Esen |
| author_sort | Judith Flügge |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Helminth infections are common in sub-Saharan Africa. Besides direct clinical effects, a bias towards a T helper type 2 (Th2) cell immune response is observed. The consequences of parasite infection during pregnancy for the mother and particularly for the fetus and the newborn can be severe and may include impaired immune response during acute infection and vaccination. Here, we present data of immune responses to vaccines given within the expanded program on immunization (EPI) of infants born to helminth infected or non-infected mothers. The study was conducted in Lambaréné and surroundings, Gabon. Maternal helminth infection was diagnosed microscopically using the Kato-Katz method for soil-transmitted helminths (STH), urine filtration for <i>Schistosoma haematobium</i> infections and the saponin-based method for filarial infections. Plasma antibody levels to different vaccine antigens were measured in mothers and their offspring by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) at different timepoints. We found 42.3% of the mothers to be infected with at least one helminth species. Significantly lower anti-tetanus toxoid immunoglobulin (Ig) G was detected in the cord blood of infants born to helminth infected mothers. Following vaccination, immune responses of the infants to EPI vaccines were similar between the two groups at nine and 12 months. Even though infection with helminths is still common in pregnant women in Gabon, in our setting, there was no evidence seen for a substantial effect on infants’ immune responses to vaccines given as part of the EPI. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T18:31:41Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8d1305f1eda24640aa1ccda44ec59f55 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-393X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T18:31:41Z |
| publishDate | 2020-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Vaccines |
| spelling | doaj.art-8d1305f1eda24640aa1ccda44ec59f552023-11-20T06:32:08ZengMDPI AGVaccines2076-393X2020-07-018338110.3390/vaccines8030381Impact of Helminth Infections during Pregnancy on Vaccine Immunogenicity in Gabonese InfantsJudith Flügge0Ayôla Akim Adegnika1Yabo Josiane Honkpehedji2Thaisa L. Sandri3Esther Askani4Gédéon Prince Manouana5Marguerite Massinga Loembe6Sina Brückner7Mohamed Duali8Johannes Strunk9Benjamin Mordmüller10Selidji Todagbe Agnandji11Bertrand Lell12Peter G. Kremsner13Meral Esen14Institute for Tropical Medicine, University of Tübingen, 72074 Tübingen, GermanyInstitute for Tropical Medicine, University of Tübingen, 72074 Tübingen, GermanyCentre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné (CERMEL), B.P. 242 Lambaréné, GabonInstitute for Tropical Medicine, University of Tübingen, 72074 Tübingen, GermanyInstitute for Tropical Medicine, University of Tübingen, 72074 Tübingen, GermanyInstitute for Tropical Medicine, University of Tübingen, 72074 Tübingen, GermanyInstitute for Tropical Medicine, University of Tübingen, 72074 Tübingen, GermanyInstitute for Tropical Medicine, University of Tübingen, 72074 Tübingen, GermanyCentre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné (CERMEL), B.P. 242 Lambaréné, GabonInstitute for Tropical Medicine, University of Tübingen, 72074 Tübingen, GermanyInstitute for Tropical Medicine, University of Tübingen, 72074 Tübingen, GermanyCentre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné (CERMEL), B.P. 242 Lambaréné, GabonGerman Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Sites, 72074 Tübingen, GermanyInstitute for Tropical Medicine, University of Tübingen, 72074 Tübingen, GermanyInstitute for Tropical Medicine, University of Tübingen, 72074 Tübingen, GermanyHelminth infections are common in sub-Saharan Africa. Besides direct clinical effects, a bias towards a T helper type 2 (Th2) cell immune response is observed. The consequences of parasite infection during pregnancy for the mother and particularly for the fetus and the newborn can be severe and may include impaired immune response during acute infection and vaccination. Here, we present data of immune responses to vaccines given within the expanded program on immunization (EPI) of infants born to helminth infected or non-infected mothers. The study was conducted in Lambaréné and surroundings, Gabon. Maternal helminth infection was diagnosed microscopically using the Kato-Katz method for soil-transmitted helminths (STH), urine filtration for <i>Schistosoma haematobium</i> infections and the saponin-based method for filarial infections. Plasma antibody levels to different vaccine antigens were measured in mothers and their offspring by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) at different timepoints. We found 42.3% of the mothers to be infected with at least one helminth species. Significantly lower anti-tetanus toxoid immunoglobulin (Ig) G was detected in the cord blood of infants born to helminth infected mothers. Following vaccination, immune responses of the infants to EPI vaccines were similar between the two groups at nine and 12 months. Even though infection with helminths is still common in pregnant women in Gabon, in our setting, there was no evidence seen for a substantial effect on infants’ immune responses to vaccines given as part of the EPI.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/8/3/381parasite infectionhelminthsvaccine immunogenicity |
| spellingShingle | Judith Flügge Ayôla Akim Adegnika Yabo Josiane Honkpehedji Thaisa L. Sandri Esther Askani Gédéon Prince Manouana Marguerite Massinga Loembe Sina Brückner Mohamed Duali Johannes Strunk Benjamin Mordmüller Selidji Todagbe Agnandji Bertrand Lell Peter G. Kremsner Meral Esen Impact of Helminth Infections during Pregnancy on Vaccine Immunogenicity in Gabonese Infants Vaccines parasite infection helminths vaccine immunogenicity |
| title | Impact of Helminth Infections during Pregnancy on Vaccine Immunogenicity in Gabonese Infants |
| title_full | Impact of Helminth Infections during Pregnancy on Vaccine Immunogenicity in Gabonese Infants |
| title_fullStr | Impact of Helminth Infections during Pregnancy on Vaccine Immunogenicity in Gabonese Infants |
| title_full_unstemmed | Impact of Helminth Infections during Pregnancy on Vaccine Immunogenicity in Gabonese Infants |
| title_short | Impact of Helminth Infections during Pregnancy on Vaccine Immunogenicity in Gabonese Infants |
| title_sort | impact of helminth infections during pregnancy on vaccine immunogenicity in gabonese infants |
| topic | parasite infection helminths vaccine immunogenicity |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/8/3/381 |
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