Carriage of Haemophilus influenzae type b in children after widespread vaccination with conjugate Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccines

Pediatr Infect Dis J. 1993 Jul;12(7):589-93. doi: 10.1097/00006454-199307000-00009.

Abstract

Rates of invasive Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) disease in children decreased very rapidly after licensure of Hib conjugate vaccines. A role for a vaccine-related reduction in nasopharyngeal carriage of Hib has been suggested. We studied oropharyngeal carriage of Hib and vaccination rates in a population of 2- to 5-year-old children in metropolitan Atlanta. Among 584 children 75% were vaccinated with an Hib conjugate vaccine, 17% had not been vaccinated and 8% had no vaccination records available. Forty-one percent of the children were colonized with H. influenzae. One child was colonized with Hib. Hib carriage (0.17%; upper 95% confidence interval boundary, 0.97%) was substantially lower than the estimates of Hib carriage from prior studies of children who had not received Hib conjugate vaccines. Our data are consistent with a decline in Hib carriage induced by widespread use of conjugate Hib vaccines, which may have contributed to the decline of Hib disease in United States children.

MeSH terms

  • Bacterial Capsules
  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Bacterial Vaccines*
  • Carrier State* / microbiology
  • Carrier State* / prevention & control
  • Child, Preschool
  • Haemophilus Infections / prevention & control*
  • Haemophilus Vaccines*
  • Haemophilus influenzae* / isolation & purification
  • Humans
  • Polysaccharides, Bacterial
  • Vaccination*

Substances

  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Bacterial Vaccines
  • Haemophilus Vaccines
  • Haemophilus influenzae type b polysaccharide vaccine
  • Polysaccharides, Bacterial
  • HibTITER protein, Haemophilus influenzae