Donor immunization with pneumococcal conjugate vaccine and early protective antibody responses following allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation

Blood. 2003 Feb 1;101(3):831-6. doi: 10.1182/blood-2002-03-0832. Epub 2002 Sep 19.

Abstract

Patients undergoing hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) are at increased risk for infections with Streptococcus pneumoniae and have long-lasting, impaired antibody responses to pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccines. We examined whether donor immunization with a heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) would elicit protective antibody responses to additional doses of vaccine administered early after transplantation. Ninety-six patients scheduled to receive an allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant were randomized with their donors to receive either a dose of PCV7 vaccine or no vaccine before transplantation. All patients received PCV7 at 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months following transplantation, and serotype-specific antibody concentrations were determined after each dose. Following HCT, geometric mean antibody concentrations of patients in the immunized donor group were significantly higher for 5 of the 7 vaccine serotypes after one dose (P <.05) and for 4 of the 7 serotypes after 2 doses of vaccine (P <.03). Sixty-seven percent of patients in the immunized donor group had presumed protective IgG concentrations more than or equal to 0.50 microg/mL to all 7 serotypes following the first dose of vaccine compared to 36% in the unimmunized donor group (P =.05). After the third dose of vaccine, both groups had more than 60% of patients with concentrations at least 0.50 microg/mL to all vaccine serotypes. Donor immunization enhances early antibody responses of patients undergoing HCT to pneumococcal conjugate vaccine. A 3-dose schedule of PCV7 vaccine at 3, 6, and 12 months is immunogenic in these patients regardless of donor immunization.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial
  • Multicenter Study
  • Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Antibodies, Bacterial / blood
  • Antibody Formation / drug effects
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Female
  • Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation / adverse effects*
  • Humans
  • Immunization*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Pneumococcal Infections / etiology
  • Pneumococcal Infections / prevention & control
  • Pneumococcal Infections / therapy
  • Pneumococcal Vaccines / administration & dosage*
  • Pneumococcal Vaccines / immunology
  • Time Factors
  • Tissue Donors*
  • Transplantation, Homologous / adverse effects
  • Vaccines, Conjugate / administration & dosage
  • Vaccines, Conjugate / immunology

Substances

  • Antibodies, Bacterial
  • Pneumococcal Vaccines
  • Vaccines, Conjugate