AI Article Synopsis

  • Maternal influenza vaccination was tested in a randomized trial in Nepal to assess its impact on infant growth, focusing on weight, length, and head circumference at birth and 6 months old.
  • The trial involved nearly 3,700 women and found that the prevalence of stunting and wasting among infants at 6 months showed slight differences between the placebo and vaccine groups, with some significant impacts on wasting in the second cohort.
  • Even though the vaccination did lead to a reduction in low birth weight by 15%, the study's underpowered design limited its ability to detect more significant public health outcomes related to infant growth.

Article Abstract

Background: Maternal influenza vaccination has increased birth weight in two randomized trials in South Asia but the impact on infant growth is unknown.

Methods: A randomized placebo-controlled trial of year round maternal influenza immunization was conducted in two annual cohorts in Sarlahi District, southern plains of Nepal, from April 2011 through April 2014. Infants born to women enrolled in the trial had weight, length, and head circumference measured at birth and 6 months of age. The study was powered for the 3 primary trial outcomes but not for stunting and wasting at 6 months of age.

Results: 3693 women received placebo or influenza vaccine between 17 and 34 weeks gestation, resulting in 3646 live births. About 72% of infants who survived had weight and length measurements between 150 and 210 days of age. Prevalence of stunting (<-2 Z scores length-for-age) was 14.8% in the placebo and 13.6% in the vaccine groups, respectively. Stunting < -3 Z scores was 3.2% versus 2.0% in placebo versus vaccine groups (RR: 0.64 (95% CI: 0.39, 1.04)). Wasting (< -2 Z scores weight for length) was 10.3% versus 11.0% for placebo versus vaccine groups. Severe wasting (< -3 Z scores weight for length) was 3.8% for placebo versus 2.6% for vaccine (RR: 0.69 (95% CI: 0.44, 1.07)). The impact of flu vaccine on wasting was greater in cohort 2 than in cohort 1, (RR: 0.66 (0.44, 0.99) for any wasting), and RR: 0.45 (0.19, 1.09) for severe wasting. This corresponded to a larger impact on birth weight and a better vaccine match with circulating viruses in cohort 2.

Conclusions: Although maternal immunization reduced low birth weight by 15%, only wasting at 6 months in the 2nd cohort was statistically significantly difference. However, the study was underpowered to detect reductions of public health importance.

Trial Registration: Clinicaltrials.gov (NCT01034254).

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5714610PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2017.09.095DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

maternal influenza
12
months age
8
influenza immunization
8
randomized placebo-controlled
8
placebo-controlled trial
8
weight length
8
nutritional status
4
status infants
4
infants months
4
age maternal
4

Similar Publications

Maternal gut microbiota composition contributes to the status of the neonatal immune system and could influence the early life higher susceptibility to viral respiratory infections. Using a novel protocol of murine maternal probiotic supplementation, we report that perinatal exposure to () or () increases the influenza A/PR8 virus (IAV) clearance in neonates. Following either supplementation, type 1 conventional dendritic cells (cDC1) were amplified in the lymph nodes leading to an enhanced IAV antigen-experienced IFN-γ producing effector CD8 T cells in neonates and IAV-specific resident memory CD8 T cells in adulthood.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Safety, Efficacy, and Effectiveness of Maternal Vaccination against Respiratory Infections in Young Infants.

Semin Respir Crit Care Med

December 2024

South Africa Medical Research Council Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Analytics Research Unit, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) is a major cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality worldwide. Maternal vaccination is an effective strategy in protecting young infants from LRTI, particularly in the first few months after birth when infant is most vulnerable, and most primary childhood vaccinations have not been administered. Additionally, maternal vaccination protects the mother from illness during pregnancy and the postnatal period, and the developing fetus from adverse outcomes such as stillbirth and prematurity.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is a major health concern, particularly for infants. In France, Nirsevimab, a long-acting monoclonal antibody to prevent RSV-associated lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) was available from September 2023. We described RSV-associated LRTI hospitalisations during the 2023-2024 season among infants younger than six months born at the Hospices Civils de Lyon (HCL), and evaluated the effectiveness of Nirsevimab against RSV-LRTI hospitalisation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Usefulness of Point-of-Care Testing for Respiratory Viruses in a Pediatric Emergency Department Setting.

J Clin Med

December 2024

Pediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Emergency Department, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, 16147 Genoa, Italy.

: Respiratory tract infections (RTIs) are a leading cause of pediatric emergency department (PED) visits, especially in children under five. These infections are primarily viral, complicating diagnosis and management. This study assesses the impact of point-of-care (POC) rapid diagnostic tests for respiratory viruses on clinical and economic outcomes in a PED setting.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Microchimerism: The mystery of multiple DNA and its implications in forensic sciences.

Forensic Sci Int

December 2024

Department of Science, Institute of Forensic Sciences and Legal Medicine, Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa, Istanbul, Turkey. Electronic address:

Microchimerism (MC) refers to the presence of small amounts of foreign cells or DNA in the tissues or circulation of an individual. It generally occurs through mother-fetus interaction, twin pregnancies, and intergenerational transmission. MC is influenced by genetic and environmental factors such as toxic conditions, immunological suppression, and various diseases (influenza, COVID-19, etc.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!

A PHP Error was encountered

Severity: Notice

Message: fwrite(): Write of 34 bytes failed with errno=28 No space left on device

Filename: drivers/Session_files_driver.php

Line Number: 272

Backtrace:

A PHP Error was encountered

Severity: Warning

Message: session_write_close(): Failed to write session data using user defined save handler. (session.save_path: /var/lib/php/sessions)

Filename: Unknown

Line Number: 0

Backtrace: