[Tick-Borne Encephalitis (TBE) - Fundamentals].

Tick-Borne Encephalitis (TBE) - Fundamentals There is widespread endemicity of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) in all German-speaking countries. In most regions there is a gradual increase in incidence and further territorial spread. As a proportion of the cases is not diagnosed and since the clinical course is getting worse with growing age, substantial underreporting occurs particularly in the pediatric and adolescent patient population.

Antibody seroprevalence and rate of asymptomatic infections with SARS-CoV-2 in Austrian hospital personnel.

Background: The aims of this study are to determine (i) SARS-CoV-2 antibody positive employees in Austrian trauma hospitals and rehabilitation facilities, (ii) number of active virus carriers (symptomatic and asymptomatic) during the study, (iii) antibody decline in seropositive subjects over a period of around 6 months, (iv) the usefulness of rapid antibody tests for outpatient screening.

Method: A total of 3301 employees in 11 Austrian trauma hospitals and rehabilitation facilities of the Austrian Social Insurance for Occupational Risks (AUVA) participated in this open uncontrolled prospective cohort study. Rapid lateral flow tests, detecting a combination of IgM and IgM against SARS-CoV-2), two different types of CLIA (Diasorin, Roche), RT-PCR tests and serum neutralization tests (SNTs) were performed.

Vaccination in Multiple Sclerosis: Friend or Foe?

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a debilitating disease of the central nervous systems (CNS). Disease-modifying treatments (including immunosuppressive treatments) have shown positive effects on the disease course, but are associated with systemic consequences on the immune system and may increase the risk of infections and alter vaccine efficiency. Therefore, vaccination of MS patients is of major interest.

Persistence of the immune response after vaccination with the Japanese encephalitis vaccine, IXIARO® in healthy adults: A five year follow-up study.

Immunization with the Japanese encephalitis (JE) vaccine IXIARO® results in protective neutralizing antibody levels for one year. Since persistence of protective titer levels beyond one year was unknown, a 5 years follow-up study was conducted. Additionally, data were stratified to compare the persistence of protective neutralizing antibodies against JE in people with or without tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) vaccination.

Age-related differences in humoral and cellular immune responses after primary immunisation: indications for stratified vaccination schedules.

Immunosenescence is characterised by reduced B and T cell responses. Evidence shows that booster vaccinations are less effective in elderly people, but data on the efficacy of primary immunisation are sparse. We conducted a monocentric, open label, phase IV trial to compare immune responses to primary vaccinations using the inactivated, adjuvanted Japanese Encephalitis vaccine by 30 elderly people (mean 69, range 61-78 years) and 30 younger people (mean 24, range 18-30 years).

Immunogenicity and safety of the inactivated Japanese encephalitis vaccine IXIARO® in elderly subjects: Open-label, uncontrolled, multi-center, phase 4 study.

Background: IXIARO® is a Vero cell-derived, inactivated Japanese encephalitis (JE) vaccine licensed mainly in western countries for children and adults traveling to JE endemic areas. Limited immunogenicity and safety data in elderly travelers have been available.

Objectives: To evaluate safety and immunogenicity of IXIARO in elderly subjects.

[Guidelines for vaccination of immunocompromised individuals].

Immunosuppression of various origins is associated with an increased risk of infection; therefore the prevention of infectious diseases by vaccination is especially important in immunocompromised patients. However, the response to vaccinations is often reduced in these risk groups and the application of live vaccines is contraindicated during immunosuppression.In the following expert statement, recommendations for vaccination were created on the basis of current evidence and theoretical/immunological considerations.

Persistence of antibodies six years after booster vaccination with inactivated vaccine against Japanese encephalitis.

Background: Japanese Encephalitis (JE) virus occurs in wide regions of Asia with over 3 billion people living in areas at risk for JE. An estimated 68,000 clinical cases of JE occur every year, and vaccination is the most effective prophylactic measure. One internationally licensed vaccine containing the inactivated JE virus strain SA14-14-2 is Ixiaro (Valneva, Austria).

Rotavirus vaccines: a story of success.

By January 2015, rotavirus vaccination had been implemented in national vaccination programmes in 75 countries worldwide. Two live oral rotavirus vaccines are internationally available: human, monovalent vaccine and human-bovine pentavalent reassortant vaccine. Since January 2014, another live, oral human-bovine monovalent vaccine has been available in India.

A Novel multivalent OspA vaccine against Lyme borreliosis is safe and immunogenic in an adult population previously infected with Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato.

Lyme borreliosis (LB) patients who recover, as well as previously infected asymptomatic individuals, remain vulnerable to reinfection with Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato. There is limited information available about the use of OspA vaccines in this population. In this study, a randomized double-blind phase I/II trial was performed to investigate the safety and immunogenicity of a novel multivalent OspA vaccine in healthy adults who were either seronegative or seropositive for previous B.

Safety and immunogenicity of modified vaccinia Ankara as a smallpox vaccine in people with atopic dermatitis.

Background: Following vaccination with traditional smallpox vaccines or after exposure to vaccinated individuals, subjects with atopic dermatitis (AD) can develop eczema vaccinatum, a severe disease with disseminated eruption of pustular contagious lesions. Alternative smallpox vaccines with an improved safety profile would address this unmet medical need.

Methods: An open-label controlled Phase I clinical trial was conducted to investigate the safety and immunogenicity of modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA) in 15 healthy subjects compared to 45 subjects with either mild allergic rhinitis, a history of AD or presenting with mild active AD.

The burden of pneumococcal meningitis in Austrian children between 2001 and 2008.

Unlabelled: The present study was conducted to evaluate the burden of pneumococcal meningitis in Austrian children between 2001 and 2008. Clinical outcome was retrospectively analyzed both on discharge and on follow-up investigations. This study was based on a prospective multicentre surveillance study on hospitalized invasive pneumococcal infections in Austrian children with a total annual "study population" of about 399,000 children aged below 5 years per year.

Gender-specific distribution of mefloquine in the blood following the administration of therapeutic doses.

Background: The objectives of the study were to elucidate the gender-specific distribution of mefloquine in cellular and fluid blood compartments when given at therapeutic dosage, to assess its correlation with the occurrence of treatment-related adverse events, and to explore the necessity of adjusting treatment guidelines for females.

Methods: The distribution of mefloquine following the administration of standard therapeutic doses (1,250 mg mefloquine in split dose) to 22 healthy Caucasian volunteers was assessed in whole blood, serum, plasma, red blood cells (RBCs), white blood cells, and platelets using high performance liquid chromatography.

Results: Plasma mefloquine concentrations after 14 hours were considerably higher in female subjects than in males (2,778 vs 1,017 ng/ml at H14), concordant with a significantly higher frequency, duration, and severity of adverse reactions.

[Vaccination recommendations for health care workers in Austria].

In Austria the vaccination coverage among health care workers (HCW) - particularly among hospital personnel - is not sufficient. This is of specific concern, because not only the individual protection but also the prevention of disease transmission of vaccine preventable diseases between HCW and patients needs to be guaranteed. Particularly immunosuppressed patients, who are at higher risk for morbidity and mortality due to certain infections, but cannot be vaccination themselves, must be able to rely on herd protection, i.

Characteristics of invasive pneumococcal disease in hospitalized children in Austria.

Unlabelled: In a prospective surveillance study covering all pediatric wards in Austria, 308 cases of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) were reported in hospitalized children <5 years of age between 2002 and 2012. Incidence was 7.1 per 100,000 per year for IPD with a case fatality rate of 3 %, and 1.

Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) and hepatitis B nonresponders feature different immunologic mechanisms in response to TBE and influenza vaccination with involvement of regulatory T and B cells and IL-10.

Low responsiveness/nonresponsiveness is characterized by an insufficient immune response upon primary and/or booster vaccination and affects 1-10% of vaccinees. In the current study, we aimed to investigate whether nonresponsiveness is an Ag/vaccine-specific phenomenon and to clarify underlying immunological mechanisms. Nonresponders to tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) or hepatitis B Ag with a history of previous TBE vaccinations were booster vaccinated with TBE and influenza vaccine and compared with TBE high responders in terms of humoral and cellular immune response.

Safety and immunogenicity of a novel multivalent OspA vaccine against Lyme borreliosis in healthy adults: a double-blind, randomised, dose-escalation phase 1/2 trial.

Background: Lyme borreliosis is caused by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto in the USA and by several Borrelia species in Europe and Asia, but no human vaccine is available. We investigated the safety and immunogenicity of adjuvanted and non-adjuvanted vaccines containing protective epitopes from Borrelia species outer surface protein A (OspA) serotypes in healthy adults.

Methods: Between March 1, 2011, and May 8, 2012, we did a double-blind, randomised, dose-escalation phase 1/2 study at four sites in Austria and Germany.

Sustained low hospitalization rates after four years of rotavirus mass vaccination in Austria.

This hospital based surveillance study evaluates the effects of the rotavirus mass vaccination program, which was initiated in Austria in August 2007. Since then, incidence rates of rotavirus hospitalizations in children <15 years of age have decreased by 70% and 64% in 2010 and 2011 compared to the pre-vaccination era (2001-2005). Incidence rates were highest in children <90 days of age, highlighting the importance of the early start of active rotavirus immunization.

Factors associated with seroimmunity against tick borne encephalitis virus 10 years after booster vaccination.

In a sample of originally 430 healthy adults (18-84 years of age) with documented basic and booster immunization against tick borne encephalitis, cumulative seroprotection rates 8 (n=178) and 10 years (n=183) after the last booster dose were 86.8% and 77.3% according to the neutralization test, respectively.

Vaccines and vaccination against tick-borne encephalitis.

Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is an emerging viral zoonosis and is endemic from Japan, China, Mongolia and Russia, to Central Europe and France. There is no specific treatment and TBE can be fatal. The four licensed prophylactic vaccines are produced according to WHO manufacturing requirements.

Traveler's Diarrhea.

Travelers' diarrhea (TD) is the most important health issue among international travelers. In high risk areas, 50-90% of travelers may experience an episode of TD. The risk of acquiring TD is influenced by factors such as the destination, duration of stay, standard of accommodation, type of travel, age of the traveler, and also by individual risk factors.

Cell culture (Vero cell) derived whole-virus non-adjuvanted H5N1 influenza vaccine induces long-lasting cross-reactive memory immune response: homologous or heterologous booster response following two dose or single dose priming.

Background: Influenza pandemic preparedness involves priming of the population with pre-pandemic vaccines. Such vaccines should be well tolerated and induce a long-lasting immunological memory that can effectively be boosted with a single dose of pandemic vaccine once available. The presented studies assessed different prime-boost regimens with a Vero cell-derived whole virus non-adjuvanted H5N1 vaccine.

Pre-vaccination immunity and immune responses to a cell culture-derived whole-virus H1N1 vaccine are similar to a seasonal influenza vaccine.

Background: Immune responses to novel pandemic influenza vaccines may be influenced by previous exposure to antigenically similar seasonal strains.

Methods: An open-label, randomized, phase I/II study was conducted to assess the immunogenicity and safety of a non-adjuvanted, inactivated whole-virus H1N1 A/California/07/2009 vaccine. 408 subjects were stratified by age (18-59 and >60 years) and randomized 1:1 to receive two vaccinations with either 3.

Persistence of antibodies in 4-8 year old Austrian children after vaccination with hexavalent DTaP-HBV-IPV/Hib and MMR vaccines.

To determine the proficiency of the Austrian childhood vaccination schedule to induce long lasting seroprotection against vaccine preventable diseases a seroepidemiological study in 348 children between four and eight years of age was conducted. Antibodies against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, hepatitis B, measles, mumps and rubella antigens were assessed in children, who had been vaccinated with hexavalent DTaP-HBV-IPV/Hib vaccines at three, four, five months and in the second year of life and/or MMR vaccines in the second year of life at least once, but mostly twice. High seroprotection rates (SPRs) were detected for tetanus (96%) and measles (90%).