Evaluation of the Development of Post-Vaccination Immunity against Selected Bacterial Diseases in Children of Post-Solid-Organ-Transplant Mothers

• Published in: Vaccines (Basel) Vol. 12; no. 6; p. 565
• Main Authors: Ginda, Tomasz, Taradaj, Karol, Tronina, Olga, Stelmaszczyk-Emmel, Anna, Kociszewska-Najman, Bożena
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 01.06.2024; MDPI
• Subjects: anti-bacterial vaccination; Antibodies; Bacteria; Bacterial diseases; Bacterial infections; Children; Children & youth; Demographic aspects; Development and progression; Diphtheria; Drug dosages; Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; Evaluation; Fetuses; Health aspects; Immune system; Immunity; Immunogenicity; Immunoglobulin G; Immunosuppression; Immunosuppressive agents; immunosuppressive drugs in pregnancy; Intrauterine exposure; Liver; Lymphocytes; Medical research; Methods; Organ transplant recipients; Pathogens; Patients; Pediatrics; Pertussis; Population studies; Pregnancy; Prenatal exposure; Public health; safety of vaccination; Statistical analysis; Streptococcus infections; Tetanus; Transplantation; Transplants & implants; Tuberculosis; Vaccination; Vaccines; Whooping cough; Poland; United States > US; immunosuppressive drugs in pregnancy; anti-bacterial vaccination; children; safety of vaccination; immunogenicity; transplantation
• ISSN: 2076-393X; 2076-393X
• DOI: 10.3390/vaccines12060565

Pregnancy after organ transplantation is considered high-risk and requires supervision in specialized centers. The impact of immunosuppression on the developing fetus is still the subject of research. It has been shown that it affects lymphocyte populations in the first year of life. For this reason, researchers suggest postponing mandatory infant vaccinations. The aim of the study was to analyze the influence of intrauterine exposure of the fetus to immunosuppression on the immunogenicity of protective vaccinations against selected bacterial pathogens. The ELISA method was used to determine the concentration of post-vaccination IgG antibodies against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, tuberculosis, H. influenzae type B, and S. pneumoniae in 18 children of mothers who underwent organ transplantation. The results were compared with the control group (n = 21). A comparison of the incidence of adverse post-vaccination reactions between the analyzed groups was also performed. There were no statistically significant differences in the immunogenicity of the analyzed vaccines between children of mothers who underwent organ transplantation and the age-matched general pediatric population. There were no differences in the incidence of adverse post-vaccination reactions between the analyzed groups. The obtained results do not indicate the need to modify the current protective vaccination schemes against bacterial pathogens in children of mothers who underwent organ transplantation.