The history of the pneumococcal polysaccharide enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is characterized by a continuous search for increased specificity. A third-generation ELISA that uses 22F polysaccharide inhibition has increased the specificity of the assay, particularly at low antibody concentrations. The present work compared various 22F ELISAs and non-22F ELISAs. The comparisons involv...

The safety and immunogenicity of a high molecular weight polysaccharide from immunotype 1 Pseudomonas aeruginosa were tested in a dose response fashion in adult volunteers. The vaccine lacked toxicity and pyrogenicity for experimental animals. Doses of 50, 75, 150, or 250 microgram were given to groups of individuals as a single dose subcutaneous injection. Doses of 150 and 250 microgram were a...

Methods Forty mice were divided into four groups: control, Der f, pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PV) , and protein conjugate polysaccharide vaccine (PCV). Allergic rhinitis was induced in BALB/c mice by intraperitoneal sensitization and intranasal challenge with Dermatophagoides farinae (Der f). The allergic symptom after the final challenge was recorded. Interferon (IFN)-g, Interleukin (...

The past decade has seen remarkable progress in our understanding of the scale global typhoid fever problem,1 alarming emergence south Asia extensively drug-resistant Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi (S Typhi) threatening effective treatment,2 and WHO prequalification a conjugate vaccine,3 new tool to prevent disease. In Lancet, Firdausi Qadri colleagues report analysis 18 months follow-up clu...

BACKGROUND Pneumococcal vaccine provides protection against invasive pneumococcal disease in population at risk. This study was conducted to compare the antibody response to 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine and 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine in patients with thalassemia major. METHODS A randomized cross-over clinical trial was performed on 50 asplenic patients with thal...

BACKGROUND Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV) reduce nasopharyngeal carriage of vaccine type (VT) pneumococci, an important driver of vaccine programs' overall benefits. The dosing schedule that best reduces carriage is unclear. METHODS We performed a systematic review of English language publications from 1994 to 2010 (supplemented post hoc with studies from 2011) reporting PCV effects on...

BACKGROUND The characteristics, risk factors, and outcome of patients with nosocomial pneumococcal bacteremia (NPB) have not been described in large, population-based studies. METHODS All episodes of invasive pneumococcal infections reported by Finnish clinical microbiology laboratories (positive blood or cerebrospinal fluid culture) from January 1, 1995, through December 31, 2002, were linke...