Prevalence and decay of maternal pneumococcal and meningococcal antibodies: A meta-analysis of type-specific decay rates

摘要

BackgroundAt the time of an infant’s initial vaccination at age ∼2 to 3 months, some infants already have maternal antibodies against vaccine antigens and these can suppress the immune response to vaccination. Modelling the effects of maternal antibody and the timing of infant doses on the antibody response to vaccination, requires estimates of the rate of maternal antibody decay. Decay rates are not well characterised in the medical literature. We investigated variation in the prevalence of maternal anti-capsular pneumococcal and meningococcal antibodies in infants in 14 countries, and estimated type-specific half-lives.