The immunomodulatory effects of measles-mumps-rubella vaccination on persistence of heterologous vaccine responses

Petra Zimmermann; Kirsten P Perrett; Fiona Rm van der Klis; Nigel Curtis

doi:10.1111/imcb.12246

The immunomodulatory effects of measles-mumps-rubella vaccination on persistence of heterologous vaccine responses

Immunol Cell Biol. 2019 Jul;97(6):577-585. doi: 10.1111/imcb.12246. Epub 2019 Mar 28.

Authors

Petra Zimmermann^{1

2

3

4}, Kirsten P Perrett^{5

6

7}, Fiona Rm van der Klis⁸, Nigel Curtis^{1

2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia.
² Infectious Diseases Unit, The Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia.
³ Infectious Diseases Group, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, VIC, Australia.
⁴ Department of Paediatrics, Fribourg Hospital HFR and Faculty of Science and Medicine, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland.
⁵ Population Allergy Research Group and Melbourne Children's Trial Centre, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, VIC, Australia.
⁶ Departments of Allergy and Immunology and General Medicine, Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia.
⁷ School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
⁸ National Institute of Public Health and the Environment, Centre for Infectious Diseases, Bilthoven, The Netherlands.

PMID: 30791143
DOI: 10.1111/imcb.12246

Abstract

It is proposed that measles-containing vaccines have immunomodulatory effects which include a reduction in all-cause childhood mortality. The antibody response to heterologous vaccines provides a means to explore these immunomodulatory effects. This is the first study to investigate the influence of measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine on the persistence of antibodies to a broad range of heterologous infant vaccinations given in the first year of life. In total, 319 children were included in the study. All infants received routine vaccinations at 6 weeks, 4 and 6 months of age. At 12 months of age, 212 children were vaccinated with MMR and Haemophilus influenzae type b-meningococcus C (Hib-MenC) vaccines while the remaining 99 children had not yet received these vaccines. In the MMR/Hib-MenC-vaccinated group, blood was taken 28 ± 14 days after receiving these vaccines. Antibodies against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis [pertussis toxin (PT), filamentous hemagglutinin, pertactin], poliomyelitis (type 1, 2, 3) and 13 pneumococcal serotypes were measured. Seroprotection rates and geometric mean antibody concentrations were compared between MMR/MenC-Hib-vaccinated and MMR/MenC-Hib-naïve participants. In the final analysis, 311 children were included. Seroprotection rates were lower in MMR/Hib-MenC-vaccinated children against PT and pneumococcal serotype 19A. After adjustment for prespecified factors, MMR/Hib-MenC-vaccinated infants had significantly higher antibody concentrations against tetanus (likely explained by a boosting effect of the carrier protein, a tetanus toxoid), while for the other vaccine antigens there was no difference in antibody concentrations between the two groups. MMR vaccination given at 12 months of age in a developed country does not significantly influence antibody concentrations to heterologous vaccines received in the first year of life.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01906853.

Keywords: MMR; antibodies; humoral; immunoglobulin; nonspecific effects; titer; vaccine.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Antibodies, Bacterial / metabolism
Female
Haemophilus Vaccines / immunology*
Humans
Immunity, Heterologous*
Immunomodulation
Infant
Infant, Newborn
Male
Measles-Mumps-Rubella Vaccine / immunology*
Pertussis Toxin / immunology
Polysaccharides, Bacterial / immunology
Seroepidemiologic Studies
Tetanus Toxoid / immunology*
Vaccination
Vaccines, Conjugate / immunology

Substances

Antibodies, Bacterial
Haemophilus Vaccines
Hib-MenCY-TT vaccine
Measles-Mumps-Rubella Vaccine
Polysaccharides, Bacterial
Tetanus Toxoid
Vaccines, Conjugate
Pertussis Toxin

Associated data

ClinicalTrials.gov/NCT01906853