Search results for "IMMUNIZATION"
showing 10 items of 313 documents
Safety and Immunogenicity of a Vero Cell Culture-Derived Whole-Virus Influenza A(H5N1) Vaccine in a Pediatric Population
2013
BACKGROUND: Children are highly vulnerable to infection with novel influenza viruses. It is essential to develop candidate pandemic influenza vaccines that are safe and effective in the pediatric population. METHODS: Infants and children aged 6-35 months and 3-8 years, respectively, were randomized to receive 2 immunizations with a 7.5-µg or 3.75-µg hemagglutinin (HA) dose of a nonadjuvanted whole-virus A/Vietnam(H5N1) vaccine; adolescents aged 9-17 years received a 7.5-µg dose only. A subset of participants received a booster immunization with an A/Indonesia(H5N1) vaccine approximately 1 year later. HA and neuraminidase antibody responses were assessed. RESULTS: Vaccination was safe and we…
Drivers for human papillomavirus vaccination in Valencia (Spain)
2018
Objective: To describe the drivers associated with HPV vaccination in adolescent girls and their parent's opinion on the vaccine. Methods: We conducted an observational and cross-sectional study on adolescent girls and their parents in Valencia (Spain), between September 2011 and June 2012. A consultation was made at a random sample of schools of the 14-year-old girls that should have received the vaccine in the free vaccination programme. We ran a personal survey on knowledge and attitudes regarding HPV infection and the vaccine. A binary logistic regression model was performed to determine which factors were most associated with vaccination. Results: The survey was run on a binomial of 1,…
Coverage rates against vaccine-preventable diseases among healthcare workers in Sicily (Italy)
2020
Abstract Background Vaccination of healthcare workers (HCWs) reduces the risk of occupational vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs), prevents their nosocomial transmission and preserves healthcare delivery during outbreaks. Extensive implementation of vaccination programmes for HCWs allowed the elimination or control of several VPDs within healthcare facilities; despite these, the vaccine adherence rates among HCWs are persistently suboptimal. Methods A questionnaire was self-administered by HCWs to assess their vaccination rates against several VPDs and self-reported immunity in two university hospitals of Southern Italy (Catania and Palermo). Results A total of 2586 questionnaires were anal…
Circulating diphtheria antitoxin levels in children aged 11-14 years in relation to the vaccinal history.
1991
Diphtheria antitoxin level in serum samples obtained from 204 healthy children aged 11-14 years was determined by means of an indirect haemagglutination technique and related to the vaccinal history of the subjects. Irrespective of the time since the last toxoid inoculation, the mean antitoxin titre per ml of serum in the individuals who had received incomplete/irregular anti-diphtheria vaccination in childhood was significantly higher when the number of toxoid doses was higher (from two to more than four doses); the same was not observed for individuals given primary vaccination (three toxoid doses) according to the schedule for childhood vaccination in Italy (regular vaccinees) and one or…
Long-term efficacy of hepatitis B vaccine, booster policy, and impact of hepatitis B virus mutants
2005
The long-term efficacy of hepatitis B vaccine, long-term effectiveness of hepatitis B immunisation programmes, immune memory induced by hepatitis B vaccine, current booster policies, and impact of hepatitis B virus mutants on immunisation programmes were reviewed at the Viral Hepatitis Prevention Board (VHPB) meeting in Sevilla, Spain, March 2004. The main focus was on universal vaccination programmes with data being presented from Italy, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, The Gambia, and USA (Alaska).
Mosaic hepatitis B virus core particles presenting the complete preS sequence of the viral envelope on their surface
2004
The sequence of the preS domain of the hepatitis B virus (HBV, genotype D) envelope was inserted into the major immunodominant region (MIR) of the C-terminally truncated HBV core (HBc) protein. In Escherichia coli, the HBc–preS fusion protein was partially soluble and did not produce particles. Co-expression of the wild-type HBc as a helper protein along with the fusion protein led to the formation of mosaic HBc particles that exhibited HBc, preS1 and preS2 antigenicity. Two alternative combinations of medium- and high-copy plasmids were used for co-expression of fusion and helper proteins, in an attempt to improve mosaic particle production. However, the preS fusion content of the particle…
Cellular and humoral immune responses induced by intradermal or intramuscular vaccination with the major hepatitis B surface antigen
2000
The vaccination route may influence the success of immunization against pathogens. The conventional intramuscular (i.m.) application of a vaccine containing the hepatitis B virus (HBV) surface antigen (HBsAg) led to protective anti-HBs antibody levels in the majority of vaccine recipients. In this study, we vaccinated healthy volunteers and a group of i.m. vaccine nonresponders via the intradermal (i.d.) route and analyzed the HBV-specific B-cell response as well as class-II- and class-I-restricted T-cell responses by 3 H-thymidine uptake, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and enzyme-linked immunospot assay (ELISPOT). The results were then compared with i.m. vaccinated controls. I.d…
Stop codon insertion restores the particle formation ability of hepatitis B virus core-hantavirus nucleocapsid protein fusions.
2003
In recent years, epitopes of various origin have been inserted into the core protein of hepatitis B virus (HBc), allowing the formation of chimeric HBc particles. Although the C-terminus of a C-terminally truncated HBc (HBcΔ) tolerates the insertion of extended foreign sequences, the insertion capacity is still a limiting factor for the construction of multivalent vaccines. Previously, we described a new system to generate HBcΔ mosaic particles based on a read-through mechanism in an <i>Escherichia coli</i> suppressor strain [J Gen Virol 1997;78:2049–2053]. Those mosaic particles allowed the insertion of a 114-amino acid (aa)-long segment of a Puumala hantavirus (PUUV) nucleocap…
Priming of cytotoxic T cell responses to exogenous hepatitis B virus core antigen is B cell dependent
2003
The hepatitis B virus (HBV) core antigen (HBcAg) has a unique ability to bind a high frequency of naive human and murine B cells. The role of HBcAg-binding naive B cells in the immunogenicity of HBcAg is not clear. The HBcAg-binding properties of naive B cells were characterized using HBcAg particles with mutated spike region (residues 76-85) sequences. Deletion of residues 76-85 (HBcDelta76-85) destroyed naive B cell binding, whereas deletion of residues 79-85 did not. HBcAg particles with an Ile instead of the natural Ala at position 80 did not bind naive B cells, whereas reversion of Ile80--Ala restored B cell binding. Destroying the B cell-binding ability of HBcAg had a marginal effect …
From viral pathobiology to the treatment of hepatitis B virus infection EASL Monothematic Conference (Istanbul, Turkey, October 6-8, 2005).
2006
Hepatitis B virus infection, which was for over a decade put aside by the rising star of hepatitis C, has seen over the last years a resurgence of interest. This stemmed from a better knowledge of the virus itself, from the availability of new drugs and combinations, and from the realization that far from being eradicated by mass immunization programs HBV is still on a worldwide basis the major cause of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, alone or in combinations with other viruses, alcohol andmetabolic cofactors. This prompted the EASL Scientific Committee to organize a Monothematic Conference on HBV. Experts from Europe, USA, Canada, Australia, the Far East and other parts of the worl…