The effect of a Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) polyribosylribitol phosphate-tetanus toxoid conjugate vaccine (Hib/PRP-T) on oropharyngeal carriage of Hib was studied during an efficacy trial in Gambian infants. Children were vaccinated with Hib/PRP-T and diphtheria-tetanus toxoids-pertussis (DTP) or DTP alone at ages 2, 3, and 4 months. Groups of 1000 children aged 1-2 years were studied e...

In 1931, Pittman5 recognized that a type specificity existed among invasive strains of Hemophilus influenzae and later demonstrated that strains from meningitis' almost invariably belonged to a single serological type which she designated type b. In 1939 Alexander', 2, developed a therapeutic type-specific rabbit serum which is highly effective against the type b influenza bacillus. We have bec...

Epiglottitis is inflammation and cellulitis of the soft tissues above the glottis − the epiglottis, vallecula, arytenoid cartilage and aryepiglottic folds. It is a life-threatening emergency which is most commonly caused by the bacteria Haemophilus influenzae type b. The incidence of epiglottitis has declined dramatically since the introduction of the Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccine and c...

Before the introduction of Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) conjugate vaccines, rates of invasive H. influenzae disease among indigenous people of the North American Arctic were among the highest in the world. Routine vaccination reduced rates to low levels; however, serotype replacement with non-type b strains may result in a reemergence of invasive disease in children. We reviewed populati...

Fifty-eight nasopharyngeal isolates of Haemophilus influenzae were collected from healthy children at a day care center, and nontypeable isolates were examined by Southern blot for the presence of capsule gene sequences. Seven isolates (12%) demonstrated homology with capsule-specific sequences. One isolate was characterized as an H. influenzae type b capsule-deficient strain.

A fatal case of neonatal Haemophilus influenzae type b, septicaemia and meningitis is described. Although the mother was asymptomatic, maternal genital tract culture yielded H. influenzae which was indistinguishable from the strain found in the infant. Despite the rarity of this organism as a cause of neonatal sepsis, increased awareness is essential so that this important offending pathogen is...

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was developed to detect the presence of the ribose-ribitol phosphate capsular antigen of Haemophilus influenzae type b in laboratory and clinical specimens. The assay is simple, sensitive, specific, and quantitative and should prove to be of value in the diagnosis and management of H. influenzae infections.

We present a case of meningitis caused by Hemophilus influenzae type-b in an immunocompetent 41-year-old Saudi lady. The patient was successfully treated with Ceftriaxone for 10 days. A review of Hemophilus influenzae meningitis in adults and the impact of conjugated vaccine on the epidemiology of the disease are given.

Haemophilus influenzae type b is an important cause of meningitis and other serious invasive diseases and initiates infection by colonizing the upper respiratory tract. Among the major adhesins in H. influenzae type b is a nonpilus protein called Hsf, a large protein that forms fiber-like structures on the bacterial surface and shares significant sequence similarity with the nontypeable H. infl...