Evolución de la vacunación frente al meningococo del serogrupo B: ¿qué ha cambiado a lo largo de 5 años? / Evolution of vaccination against serogroup B meningococcus: what has changed over 5 years?

Introducción: la infección por meningococo del serogrupo B puede provocar enfermedad meningocócica invasiva, con un 20-30% de secuelas y hasta un 10% de mortalidad. Material y métodos: estudio observacional, descriptivo y retrospectivo de vacunación frente al meningococo del serogrupo B en la población pediátrica del Sector I de Zaragoza desde octubre de 2015 hasta diciembre de 2019. Se estudió: edad de inicio de la vacunación, edad a la fecha de la primera dosis (≤3 meses, 4-11 meses, 12-23 meses, 2-9 años, 10-16 años), sexo, centro de salud (CS) y número de dosis recibidas. Resultados: se vacunó a 11 776 pacientes, de los cuales un 51,6% fueron varones. Presentaron una edad media de inicio de vacunación a los 5,0 ± 4,4 años y 2,2 ± 0,6 dosis recibidas. La distribución del total de vacunados fue muy variada, con una diferencia del 17,8% entre el CS con más vacunados y el CS con menos vacunados. El 0,7% recibieron primera dosis en 2015, el 23,8% en 2016, el 38% en 2017, el 26,7% en 2018 y el 10,8% en 2019. El 12% tenía ≤3 meses al inicio de la vacunación, el 11,5% tenía 4-11 meses, el 6,7% tenía 12-23 meses, el 50,4% 2-9 años y el 19,5% 10-16 años, existiendo diferencias en relación con la fecha de primera dosis (p = 0,000). El 2017 cuenta con mayor incidencia de vacunación global (12,2%), aunque en lactantes fue superior en 2018 (42,1%) y en los grupos de 2-9 años y adolescentes en 2017: el 15,8 y el 5,4% respectivamente. La incidencia global acumulada fue 32,5%, siendo en lactantes de 133,5%. Conclusiones: a pesar de las prometedoras cifras de incidencia acumulada, encontramos numerosas diferencias de vacunación entre grupos de edad y CS, por lo que resulta interesante la vacunación sistemática y financiada de meningococo B (AU)

Introduction: infection by serogroup B meningococcus can cause invasive meningococcal disease, with development of sequelae in 20-30% of cases and a mortality of up to 10%.Material and methods: observational, descriptive and retrospective study of vaccination against serogroup B meningococcus in the paediatric population of health sector I of Zaragoza between October 2015 and December 2019. We analysed the age at primary vaccination, age group at time of first dose (≤3 months, 4-11 months, 12-23 months, 2-9 years, 10-16 years), sex, primary care centre (PCC) and number of received doses.Results: 11 776 patients were vaccinated, of who 51.6% were male. The mean age at initiation of vaccination was 5.0 ± 4.4 years, and they received a mean of 2.2 ± 0.6 doses. The distribution of vaccinated patients by PCC was heterogeneous, with a difference of 17.8% between the centre with the most vaccinated patients and the centre with the least. Of all patients, 0.7% received the first dose in 2015, 23.8% in 2016, 38% in 2017, 26.7% in 2018 and 10.8% in 2019. Twelve percent were aged 3 months or less when they received the first dose, 11.5% 4-11 months, 6.7% 12-23 months, 50.4% 2-9 years and 19.5% 10-16 years, with differences based on the date of the first dose (p = 0.000). The highest frequency of overall vaccination corresponded to 2017 (12.2%), although in children under 2 years it was higher in 2018 (42.1%) and in children aged 2-9 years and adolescents it was highest in 2017: 15.8% and 5.4%, respectively. The cumulative frequency of vaccination was 32.5% in the overall sample and 133.5% in the group aged less than 2 years.Conclusions: although we found promising cumulative vaccination rates, there were numerous differences in vaccination between age groups and PCCs, which is why publicly funded routine vaccination against meningococcus B is worth contemplating. (AU)

[Serogroup C invasive meningococcal disease in the post-vaccine era and vaccine failures]. / Enfermedad meningocócica invasiva por serogrupo C en la era posvacunal y fallos vacunales.

INTRODUCTION: The incidence of serogroup C invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) has decreased since the introduction of systematic vaccination in 2000. The aim of this study is to determine the number of serogroup C IMD cases diagnosed since then and the vaccine failures. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on patients diagnosed with IMD by culture or polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in a maternity and childhood hospital in Barcelona between 2001 and 2018. An analysis was made of the number of vaccine doses and the age received, as well as on the medical records and vaccine cards. RESULTS: There were 128 confirmed cases of IMD (7.1 cases/year; 70.3 in <5 years). The serogroup was studied in 125 (97.6%) cases, in which 103 (82.4%) were B, 10 (8%) were C, one (0.8%) was 29E, and one (0.8%) was Y, and only 10 (8%) were not able to be serogrouped. Of the 10 patients with serogroup C, 4 were not vaccinated, and in 3, the course was not complete as regards the number of doses. The other 3 received the complete course according to age and current calendar, and thus were considered vaccine failures. A total of 6 patients died (mortality rate: 4.7%), 5 due to serogroup B (mortality: 4.8%), and one due to serogroup C (mortality: 10%). CONCLUSIONS: Serogroup C only represented 8% of IMD cases in the period studied, with 30% of cases due to this serogroup being vaccine failures.

Serogroup B Meningococcus Outbreaks, Prevalence, and the Case for Standard Vaccination.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review explores the history of serogroup B meningitis outbreaks in American universities and the rise of the monovalent serogroup B meningococcus vaccines (MenB). RECENT FINDINGS: Serogroup B meningitis represents 30% of American meningococcal infections and had no commercially available vaccine in the USA until 2013 when the FDA made an expanded allowance for importation of the MenB-4C vaccine for outbreaks at two American universities. Infections of Neisseria meningitidis, notably meningococcal meningitis represent a continued, lethal threat to the pediatric and adolescent populations and those with primary or acquired complement component deficiencies, largely mitigated by the quadrivalent meningococcal conjugated vaccine against serogroups A, C, W, and Y (MenACWY).

From genes to vaccine: A breakthrough in the prevention of meningococcal group B disease.

Although safe and effective vaccines exist for meningococcal serogroups A, C, W-135 and Y, no vaccine is available for routine use against disease caused by serogroup B (MenB). Consequently, MenB is now the most common cause of invasive meningococcal disease in Canada. MenB causes more than 80% of invasive meningococcal disease in infants and can occur at any age. The mortality and morbidity rates related to this disease are very high. Vaccine development against MenB has been hampered by the fact that MenB polysaccharide is not immunogenic in humans. Although vaccines derived from the outer membrane vesicle have been effective in controlling MenB outbreaks, such vaccines protect against the outbreak strain only. A new vaccine development strategy, reverse vaccinology, has led to the identification of genes coding for surface-exposed proteins, which are able to induce bactericidal antibodies against a broad range of MenB strains. A new vaccine containing a combination of these proteins has been tested in different age groups, in several clinical trials. The data available provide hope that control of MenB through routine vaccination will soon be possible.