Haemophilus influenzae is one of the microorganisms that make up the commensal flora of the upper respiratory tract. Carriage is common, but compatible with good health. None the less, H influenzae is a pathogen and, in the case of encapsulated type b organisms, causes life threatening, invasive (bacteraemic) infections, the most common and serious being meningitis and epiglottitis (table 1).' ...

The first glycoconjugate vaccine using isolated glycans was licensed to protect children from Haemophilus influenzae serotype b (Hib) infections. Subsequently, the first semisynthetic glycoconjugate vaccine using a mixture of antigens derived by polymerization targeted the same pathogen. Still, a detailed understanding concerning the correlation between oligosaccharide chain length and the immu...

On August 19, 2009, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) licensed Hiberix (GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals, Rixensart, Belgium), a Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) conjugate vaccine composed of H. influenzae type b capsular polysaccharide (polyribosyl-ribitol-phosphate [PRP]) conjugated to inactivated tetanus toxoid (PRP-T). Hiberix is licensed for use as the booster (final) dose of the Hib va...

Objective To determine seroprotection and vaccine response rates produced by a diphtheria–tetanus–acellular pertussis–inactivated poliovirus–Haemophilus influenzae type-b conjugate (DTaP–IPV//PRP~T) vaccine containing a polyribosyl-ribitol-phosphate (PRP)– tetanus toxoid conjugate (PentaximTM) and given with a hepatitis B vaccine. Methods In this multicentre open-label trial, 424 infants who re...

BACKGROUND Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) is the leading cause of bacterial meningitis, otitis media, pneumonia, cellulitis, bacteremia, and septic arthritis in infants and young children. The Hib capsule contains the major virulence factor, and is composed of polyribosyl ribitol phosphate (PRP) that can induce immune system response. Vaccines consisting of Hib capsular polysaccharide (PRP...

AIMS To document the immunogenicity and persistence of antibody to polyribosyl-ribitol phosphate (PRP) as well as the clinical protection against invasive Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) disease in premature infants immunised at the routine schedule. METHODS Blood was obtained at 2, 5, 12, and 64 months of age from a cohort of prematurely born infants (<or=32 weeks gestation). Anti-PRP an...

An increase in Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) in British children has been linked to the widespread use of a diphtheria/tetanus/acellular pertussis combination vaccine (DTaP-Hib). We measured anti-polyribosyl-ribitol phosphate antibody concentration and avidity before and after a Hib booster in 176 children 2-4 years of age who had received 3 doses of DTP-Hib (either DT whole cell pertussi...

BACKGROUND Combination vaccines improve coverage, compliance and effectively introduce new antigens to mass vaccination programmes. This was a phase III, observer-blind, randomized study of GSK Biologicals diphtheria-tetanus-whole cell pertussis vaccine combined with hepatitis B and Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccines, containing a reduced amount of polyribosyl-ribitol-phosphate (PRP) and a ...

Currently, there are three Hib conjugate vaccines licensed in Canada for use in infants 2 months of age and older. The Bureau of Biologics recently approved two new vaccine products that allow single-needle administration of (a) polyribose ribitol phosphate-tetanus toxoid (PRP-T) with diphtheria toxoid-pertussis vaccine-tetanus toxoid-inactivated poliovirus vaccine (DPT-IPV), and (b) oligosacch...

Mutations in genes required for the glycosylation of α-dystroglycan lead to muscle and brain diseases known as dystroglycanopathies. However, the precise structure and biogenesis of the assembled glycan are not completely understood. Here we report that three enzymes mutated in dystroglycanopathies can collaborate to attach ribitol phosphate onto α-dystroglycan. Specifically, we demonstrate tha...