In a recent study published in eClinicalMedicine, researchers assessed the immune persistence of the Sabin strain-derived inactivated poliovirus vaccine (sIPV) compared to wild poliovirus seed strains (wIPV) in children. The study aimed to determine the duration of immunity conferred by sIPV and its potential as an alternative to oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV).
The research was conducted on children from Pingle County in GuanXi Province, China, who had completed the primary and booster regimens of sIPV or wIPV between 2012 and 2014. The study included 170 children in the sIPV group and 169 children in the control wIPV group.
The researchers evaluated the neutralizing antibody (nAb) titers in serum samples of the children to assess their protection against poliovirus types 1, 2, and 3. They found that the protective rates and nAb titers induced by sIPV were comparable to those induced by wIPV during the 10-year follow-up period.
However, the geometric mean titers (GMTs) of nAbs against poliovirus types 1, 2, and 3 varied over time in both groups. The GMTs decreased between 80.5% and 91.8% in the sIPV group and between 82.3% and 89.0% in the wIPV group four years after the booster vaccination. However, from ages 6 to 10 years, the decrease in GMTs slowed down for both groups.
Overall, the study demonstrated that both sIPV and wIPV provided persistent immunity for at least 10 years after vaccination. This suggests that using attenuated Sabin strains to prepare inactivated poliovirus vaccines, such as sIPV, could be a viable option for preventing poliomyelitis. These findings are particularly significant for developing nations in the postpolio era, as vaccines with long-lasting immunity are crucial for polio eradication efforts.
Source: eClinicalMedicine research article
