We present a case of a four-year-old boy who succumbed to diphtheria following incomplete course of immunisation, which included diphtheria vaccine. This case report focuses on the issues of parental refusal to vaccines and the development of "halal" vaccines for the prevention of infectious diseases.

The occurrence of porphyrins in diphtheria toxin is well known (for references, see A. M. Pappenheimer, J. Biol. Chem. 167:251, 1947). In toxoid, the porphyrins remain as red pigments which, unless removed before the addition of alum, impart a red color to the final alum-precipitated toxoid. Removal of the porphyrins as a first step was examined by L. B. Holt (Developments in Diphtheria Prophyl...

On December 4, 2008, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved an expanded age indication for the tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid and acellular pertussis vaccine (Tdap) Boostrix (GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals, Rixensart, Belgium). Boostrix is now licensed for use in persons aged 10-64 years as a single-dose booster immunization; the vaccine initially was licensed for persons aged ...

Corynebacterium diphtheriae, the agent of diphtheria, is rarely responsible for bacteremia. However, high numbers of bacteremia have been reported in countries with extensive immunization coverage. Here, we used molecular and phenotypic tools to characterize and compare 42 invasive isolates collected in France (including New Caledonia) and Poland over a 23-year period.

Data from two Swedish pertussis vaccine trials with various combination vaccines were used to compare anti-diphtheria antitoxin concentrations over time between different vaccines, vaccine lots and vaccine schedules. The immune responses were measured with a validated ELISA method.Results are given for 1326 children, born 1992, that were recruited to the placebo (DT)-controlled Trial I which us...

In 2005, two tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid, and acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccines were licensed and recommended for use in adults and adolescents in the United States: ADACEL (sanofi pasteur, Swiftwater, Pennsylvania), which is licensed for use in persons aged 11--64 years, and BOOSTRIX (GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals, Rixensart, Belgium), which is licensed for use in persons aged 10...