A vaccine for pneumonia and meningitis has been found to be effective in offering protection against re-infection in HIV-infected adults.
A vaccine for pneumonia and meningitis has been found to be effective in offering protection against re-infection in HIV-infected adults.
Streptococcus pneumoniae is a leading and serious co-infection in adults with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection especially in Africa. Prevention of this disease by vaccination with the current 23-valent polysaccharide vaccine is suboptimal. Protein conjugate vaccines offer a further option for protection, but there is limited data on their clinical efficacy.
To study the efficacy of Prevnar, a 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV), against infection with the <i>Streptococcus pneumoniae</i> bacteria, which causes invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD), researchers followed 496 HIV-infected African adolescents and adults who had recovered from documented IPD. Two doses of vaccine were given 4 weeks apart, and further episode(s) of pneumococcal infection caused by the vaccine serotypes were looked for.
It was found that the vaccine prevented 74 per cent of recurrent cases of IPD in patients with underlying HIV infection. The vaccine prevented disease even when given to patients with CD4 counts less than 200. CD4 cells are an essential part of the immune system, but are targeted and destroyed by HIV. An HIV-infected person with a CD4 count below 200 is severely immunocompromised and is considered to have AIDS.
The above findings show that Prevnar vaccine protects HIV-infected adults from recurrent pneumococcal infection.
Streptococcus pneumoniae is a leading and serious co-infection in adults with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection especially in Africa. Prevention of this disease by vaccination with the current 23-valent polysaccharide vaccine is suboptimal. Protein conjugate vaccines offer a further option for protection, but there is limited data on their clinical efficacy.
To study the efficacy of Prevnar, a 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV), against infection with the <i>Streptococcus pneumoniae</i> bacteria, which causes invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD), researchers followed 496 HIV-infected African adolescents and adults who had recovered from documented IPD. Two doses of vaccine were given 4 weeks apart, and further episode(s) of pneumococcal infection caused by the vaccine serotypes were looked for.
It was found that the vaccine prevented 74 per cent of recurrent cases of IPD in patients with underlying HIV infection. The vaccine prevented disease even when given to patients with CD4 counts less than 200. CD4 cells are an essential part of the immune system, but are targeted and destroyed by HIV. An HIV-infected person with a CD4 count below 200 is severely immunocompromised and is considered to have AIDS.
The above findings show that Prevnar vaccine protects HIV-infected adults from recurrent pneumococcal infection.
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