Exposure to whooping cough improves response to the booster vaccine

Older children have more antibodies against pertussis bacteria than younger children, because they are more often exposed to the pathogen. They also show a stronger immune response after pertussis vaccination. This is evidenced by a publication by researchers at Radboud University Medical Center in Nature Communications.

Immunologists Dimitri Diafathopoulos and PhD student Jannie Froberg studied two groups of children. One group was between 7 and 10 years old, the other between 11 and 15 years old. They all received their series of injections from the National Immunization Program. The researchers gave them a booster shot and looked at the immune response in the nose.

The older group of children had more antibodies to pertussis bacteria in the nose before the booster vaccination compared to the younger group. This may be due to exposure to bacteria.

The researchers also studied response to booster vaccination. In the group with older children, they saw more antibodies in the nose against the vaccine, and a rapid drop in antibodies one month to a year after the booster. Therefore exposure appears to be an important factor in the timing and effectiveness of vaccines.

Vaccination of different countries against whooping cough at different ages. In the Dutch vaccination programme, vaccination will also shift soon, from 4 to 6 years. The study supports this post administration.

source:

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