The aims of the study were to examine age-related features of immune response to measles virus in staff of a large city hospital and to define groups at risk for measles outbreaks.Methods. The study involved 1,855 staff members of a large city hospital aged ≥ 19 years old who had documented vaccination against measles or a history of measles. The participants were divided into age groups with 5-year intervals starting from 19 years of age; there were 11 groups in total. The immune response to measles virus was measured in sera by ELISA using Vector-Best IgG-Kor test system (Russia).Results. Young employers of 19 to 23 years of age were most susceptible to measles; protective antibody level was not detected in 38.5% of them. They were followed by young-to-middle-aged workers (24 to 48 years old) who were negative for anti-measles antibodies or had non-protective level of antibodies in 16.7% to 27.5%. The anti-measles antibody level was low (42.3 % to 60.0 %) in employers of 19 to 43 years of age and gradually increased to 46.3% – 92.2% in the group of 44 to 68 years old.Conclusion. Herd immunity against measles in employers of a large city hospital did not meet requirements for successful infection control which implicates ≤ 7% of seronegative individuals. This means that measles outbreak could occur at any time because the proportion of seronegative individuals (11.5%) twice exceeded the cut-off value; the antibody level was controversial in 3.2% of individuals. Therefore, monitoring anti-measles antibody level in hospital staff is necessary to detect groups at risk who should be vaccinated against measles.

Early studies on vaccination of children with oncological diseases were only dedicated to the assessment of safety and immunogenicity of the drug. Mechanisms of the post-vaccination immune response were not investigated. This study involved 41 patients aged 7-15 years who were treated for solid tumors two or more years ago. Of these, 26 were vaccinated against diphtheria and tetanus with ADS-m toxoid. Fifteen children (i.e., controls) were not vaccinated. The vaccination tolerability and clinical characteristics of the underlying disease remission ware assessed. Lymphocyte subpopulations were investigated over time by flow cytometry at 1, 6, and 12 months. IgG anti-diphtheria and anti-tetanus toxoids levels were assessed by ELISA. Within the first day of the post-vaccination period, two (7.7%) children demonstrated moderate local reactions and increased body temperature (up to 38.0°C). Relapse and metastasis were not mentioned within a year after immunization. An increase in concentration of IgG antibodies, maintained for 12 months, were noted [2.1 (1.3-3.4) IU/ml against diphtheria (p <0.001), 6.4 (2.3-9.7) IU/ml against tetanus (p <0.001)]. In contrast to healthy children, those with a history of cancer demonstrated a decrease in the relative number of mature T lymphocytes, as well as in absolute number of cytotoxic T cells and B lymphocytes. In a month after the revaccination, a significant increase in absolute (p = 0.04) and relative (p = 0.007) numbers of T lymphocytes and T helpers was revealed. In a year, these values decreased to baseline levels. As for helpers, they decreased below baseline and control values (p = 0.004). In a year after the vaccination, there was a significant (p = 0.05) increase in lymphocyte level with a decrease in the number of NK cells and B cells as compared with controls. Revaccination against diphtheria and tetanus promoted proliferation of a total lymphocytic cell pool along with restoration of the T lymphocyte subpopulation in children with a history of solid tumors. The ADS-m toxoid has a certain nonspecific immunomodulatory effect. These findings are important, also in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

Background Although extensive research has been conducted on the role of local immunity in patients with SARS-CoV-2, little is known about the production and concentrations of secretory IgA (SIgA) in different mucosal compartments. This article aims to assess the secretion of SIgA in the nasal and pharyngeal compartments and saliva of patients with COVID-19 and to investigate the possibility and efficiency of correction of their secretion using combined intranasal and oral administration of a pharmaceutical containing antigens of opportunistic microorganisms. Methods This study included 78 inpatients, aged between 18 and 60 years, who had confirmed COVID-19 with moderate lung involvement. The control group ( n =45) received basic therapy, and the treatment group ( n =33) was additionally administered the bacteria-based pharmaceutical Immunovac VP4 from day 1 to day 10 of hospitalization. SIgA levels were measured by ELISA at baseline and on days 14 and 30. Results No systemic or local reactions associated with Immunovac VP4 were reported. We observed a statistically significant reduction in the duration of fever and hospitalization in patients who received Immunovac VP4 compared with those from the control group ( p =0.03 and p =0.05, respectively). Changes over time in SIgA levels in nasal swabs were found to be significantly different in the two treatment groups (F=7.9, p [78.0]<0.001). On day 14 of observation, patients in the control group showed a statistically significant reduction in SIgA levels from baseline ( p =0.02), whereas patients in the Immunovac VP4 group had stable SIgA levels ( p =0.07). On day 30 after the start of treatment, there was a statistically significant increase in SIgA levels in the Immunovac VP4 group compared with baseline (from 77.7 (40.5–98.7) μg/L to 113.4 (39.8–156.7) μg/L; p =0.05) and the levels measured on day 14 (from 60.2 (23.3–102.9) μg/L to 113.4 (39.8–156.7) μg/L; p =0.03). The control group showed a statistically significant decrease in levels of nasal SIgA (to 37.3) on day 30 ( p =0.007 for comparison with baseline values and p =0.04 for comparison with levels measured on day 14). Changes over time in SIgA levels measured in pharyngeal swabs were also different between the two treatment groups, and this difference reached statistical significance (F=6.5, p [73.0]=0.003). In the control group, this parameter did not change throughout the study ( p =0.17 for a comparison between the levels measured on day 14 and the baseline values, and p =0.12 for a comparison between the levels measured on day 30 and the baseline values)....

Pregnant women are risk group for influenza infection. Results of new subunit vaccines application have not been studied enough. Prospective, randomized, open-label comparative study of subunit (Agrippal) and polymeric subunit (Grippol plus) vaccines. 42 pairs of mothers-infants were participated in the study. Protective antibodies (≥ 1:40) to different influenza strains were registered on day 1 after the birth on the same level as 53% of cases in pairs mothers-infants after immune adjuvant polymeric subunit and subunit vaccines administration. There were the same level of protective antibodies (AB) among mothers after 3 month, but transplacental antibodies decreased among infants and registered in the 13-22% cases of Grippol plus group and 31-43% cases in Agrippal S1 group. AB titre to influenza virus A/H1N1/pdm09 and A/H3N2/in pairs mothers-infants were the same in both groups in first days after birth, but AB levels to B strain were lower among infants without regard to vaccine. There is no difference in AB titres among infants of both groups at 3 month of age, but their levels were twice lower versus initial data. An immune adjuvant polymeric subunit as well as subunit vaccines application in pregnant women forms protective AB in pairs mothers-infants.

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