A Cochrane review [Abstract] 1 [withdrawn from publication] included 22 studies. Meningococcal polysaccharide (MPLS) vaccines protect against serogroup C disease, but do not produce an immune response in infants less than two years of age. This limitation can be overcome by linking C polysaccharide to carrier proteins ('conjugating'), to create meningococcal serogroup C conjugate (MCC) vaccines. The trials showed that MCC vaccine was immunogenic in infants after two and three doses, in toddlers after one and two doses and in older age groups after one dose. In general higher titres were generated after MCC than after MPLS vaccines. Immunological hypo-responsiveness seen after repeated doses of MPLS vaccine may be overcome with MCC. Observational studies have documented a significant decline in meningococcal C disease in countries where MCC vaccines have been widely used.
Authors' comment: The timing of the vaccinations schedules, the specific conjugate used, and the vaccines given concomitantly or combined, may be important.
Primary/Secondary Keywords