Safety and long-term humoral immune response in adults after vaccination with an H1N1 2009 pandemic influenza vaccine with or without AS03 adjuvant.

BACKGROUND: In this study (NCT00985088) we evaluated different formulations of an H1N1 2009 pandemic influenza vaccine that deliver various viral hemagglutinin (HA) doses with or without AS03 (a tocopherol-based oil-in-water adjuvant system). METHODS: A total of 1340 healthy subjects aged ≥18 years were randomized to receive 1 or 2 doses of an adjuvanted (3.75-µg HA/AS03(A) or 1.9-µg HA/AS03(B)) or nonadjuvanted vaccine formulation. Safety and immunogenicity (by hemagglutination-inhibition [HI] assay) after each dose and 6 months after dose 1 are reported here. RESULTS: A single dose of AS03(A)-adjuvanted 3.75-µg HA H1N1 2009 induced the strongest immune responses in subjects aged 18-64 years (seroprotection rate [SPR], 97.2%; seroconversion rate [SCR], 90.1%) as well as in subjects aged >64 years (SPR, 91.1%; SCR, 78.2%) 21 days after vaccination. Six months after dose 1, subjects who received 2 doses of either the adjuvanted formulation or 1 dose of the adjuvanted 3.75-µg HA formulation continued to meet all Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research and Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use criteria. All formulations had clinically acceptable safety profiles. CONCLUSION: A single dose of the 3.75-µg HA AS03(A)-adjuvanted H1N1 2009 influenza vaccine was highly immunogenic in both age strata (18-64 and >64 years), inducing long-term persistence of the immune response until at least 6 months after dose 1.

Dose-sparing H5N1 A/Indonesia/05/2005 pre-pandemic influenza vaccine in adults and elderly adults: a phase III, placebo-controlled, randomized study.

BACKGROUND: Highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 viruses remain a threat to human health, with potential to become pandemic agents. METHODS: This phase III, placebo-controlled, observer-blinded study evaluated the immunogenicity, cross-reactivity, safety, and lot consistency of 2 doses of oil-in-water (AS03(A)) adjuvanted H5N1 A/Indonesia/05/2005 (3.75 µg hemagglutinin antigen) prepandemic candidate vaccine in 4561 adults aged 18-91 years. RESULTS: Humoral antibody responses in the H5N1 vaccine groups fulfilled US and European immunogenicity licensure criteria for pandemic vaccines in all age strata 21 days after the second dose. At 6 months after the administration of the primary dose, serum antibody seroconversion rates continued to fulfill licensure criteria. Neutralizing cross-clade immune responses were demonstrated against clade 1 A/Vietnam/1194/2004. Consistency was demonstrated for 3 consecutive H5N1 vaccine lots. Temporary injection-site pain was more frequent with H5N1 vaccine than placebo (89.3% and 70.7% in the 18-64 and ≥65 years strata vs 22.2% and 14.4% in the placebo groups). Unsolicited adverse event frequency, including medically attended and serious events, was similar between groups through day 364. CONCLUSIONS: In adults and elderly adults, AS03(A)-adjuvanted H5N1 candidate vaccine was highly immunogenic for A/Indonesia/05/2005, with cross-reactivity against A/Vietnam/1194/2004. Temporary injection site reactions were more frequent with H5N1 vaccine than placebo, although the H5N1 vaccine was well tolerated overall. Clinical Trials Registration. NCT00616928.

Safety and cross-reactive immunogenicity of candidate AS03-adjuvanted prepandemic H5N1 influenza vaccines: a randomized controlled phase 1/2 trial in adults.

BACKGROUND: The tocopherol-based oil-in-water emulsion adjuvant system family (AS03) improves antigen sparing with split-virion H5N1 influenza vaccines, representing an important development for pandemic preparedness. In this phase 1/2 randomized, controlled, observer-blinded study in 680 adults, we assessed the immunogenicity and safety of A/Indonesia/5/05 H5N1 (IBCDC-RG2, clade 2.1) prepandemic candidate vaccines produced at 2 separate manufacturing sites. METHODS: Two doses, each of which contained 3.75 microg of hemagglutinin antigen, were given 21 days apart either without adjuvant or with an adjuvant system containing 11.86 mg or 5.93 mg of tocopherol (AS03). RESULTS: The AS03-adjuvanted A/Indonesia/05/2005 (NIBRG-14) vaccines were significantly more immunogenic than nonadjuvanted vaccine in homologous assays. Neutralizing cross-clade immunogenicity against clades 1, 2.2, and 2.3 was demonstrated at day 42 with all vaccines; at 6 months, seroconversion rates were highest for clade 2.2 (60.7%) and for clade 1 (38.3%). Adjuvantation was associated with increased short-term injection-site reactions (pain) in 80% of participants, with such reactions assessed as being of grade 3 severity for 4.0% of doses. No other safety or reactogenicity concerns were identified over 6 months of follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Humoral responses against the adjuvanted 3.75-microg hemagglutinin antigen vaccines from both manufacturing sites fulfilled European and US licensure criteria for immunogenicity for influenza vaccines.

Preparing a community hospital to manage work-related exposures to infectious agents in BioSafety level 3 and 4 laboratories.

Construction of new BioSafety Level (BSL) 3 and 4 laboratories has raised concerns regarding provision of care to exposed workers because of healthcare worker (HCW) unfamiliarity with precautions required. When the National Institutes of Health began construction of a new BSL-4 laboratory in Hamilton, Montana, USA, in 2005, they contracted with St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula, Montana, for care of those exposed. A care and isolation unit is described. We developed a training program for HCWs that emphasized the optimal use of barrier precautions and used pathogen-specific modules and simulations with mannequins and fluorescent liquids that represented infectious body fluids. The facility and training led to increased willingness among HCWs to care for patients with all types of communicable diseases. This model may be useful for other hospitals, whether they support a BSL-4 facility, are in the proximity of a BSL-3 facility, or are interested in upgrading their facilities to prepare for exotic and novel infectious diseases.

The Special Pathogens Research Network: Enabling Research Readiness.

The 2013-2016 epidemic of Ebola virus disease (EVD) that originated in West Africa underscored many of the challenges to conducting clinical research during an ongoing infectious disease epidemic, both in the most affected countries of Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, as well as in the United States and Europe, where a total of 27 patients with EVD received care in biocontainment units. The Special Pathogens Research Network (SPRN) was established in the United States in November 2016 to provide an organizational structure to leverage the expertise of the 10 Regional Ebola and Other Special Pathogen Treatment Centers (RESPTCs); it was intended to develop and support infrastructure to improve readiness to conduct clinical research in the United States. The network enables the rapid activation and coordination of clinical research in the event of an epidemic and facilitates opportunities for multicenter research when the RESPTCs are actively caring for patients requiring a biocontainment unit. Here we provide an overview of opportunities identified in the clinical research infrastructure during the West Africa EVD epidemic and the SPRN activities to meet the ongoing challenges in the context of Ebola virus and other special pathogens.

Correction to: Impact of intensive care unit supportive care on the physiology of Ebola virus disease in a universally lethal non-human primate model.

Please note that four authors (Logan Banadyga, Alixandra Albietz, Brad Pickering, and Gary Wong) have been erroneously omitted from the author list in the published original article [1].

Impact of intensive care unit supportive care on the physiology of Ebola virus disease in a universally lethal non-human primate model.

BACKGROUND: There are currently limited data for the use of specific antiviral therapies for the treatment of Ebola virus disease (EVD). While there is anecdotal evidence that supportive care may be effective, there is a paucity of direct experimental data to demonstrate a role for supportive care in EVD. We studied the impact of ICU-level supportive care interventions including fluid resuscitation, vasoactive medications, blood transfusion, hydrocortisone, and ventilator support on the pathophysiology of EVD in rhesus macaques infected with a universally lethal dose of Ebola virus strain Makona C07. METHODS: Four NHPs were infected with a universally lethal dose Ebola virus strain Makona, in accordance with the gold standard lethal Ebola NHP challenge model. Following infection, the following therapeutic interventions were employed: continuous bedside supportive care, ventilator support, judicious fluid resuscitation, vasoactive medications, blood transfusion, and hydrocortisone as needed to treat cardiovascular compromise. A range of physiological parameters were continuously monitored to gage any response to the interventions. RESULTS: All four NHPs developed EVD and demonstrated a similar clinical course. All animals reached a terminal endpoint, which occurred at an average time of 166.5 ± 14.8 h post-infection. Fluid administration may have temporarily blunted a rise in lactate, but the effect was short lived. Vasoactive medications resulted in short-lived improvements in mean arterial pressure. Blood transfusion and hydrocortisone did not appear to have a significant positive impact on the course of the disease. CONCLUSIONS: The model employed for this study is reflective of an intramuscular infection in humans (e.g., needle stick) and is highly lethal to NHPs. Using this model, we found that the animals developed progressive severe organ dysfunction and profound shock preceding death. While the overall impact of supportive care on the observed pathophysiology was limited, we did observe some time-dependent positive responses. Since this model is highly lethal, it does not reflect the full spectrum of human EVD. Our findings support the need for continued development of animal models that replicate the spectrum of human disease as well as ongoing development of anti-Ebola therapies to complement supportive care.

In vitro production of panton-valentine leukocidin among strains of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus causing diverse infections.

BACKGROUND: Community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains have recently been associated with severe necrotizing infections. Greater than 75% of these strains carry the genes for Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL), suggesting that this toxin may mediate these severe infections. However, to date, studies have not provided evidence of toxin production. METHODS: Twenty-nine community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and 2 community-acquired methicillin-susceptible S. aureus strains were collected from patients with infections of varying severity. Strains were analyzed for the presence of lukF-PV and SCCmecA type. PVL production in lukF-PV gene-positive strains was measured by ELISA, and the amount produced was analyzed relative to severity of infection. RESULTS: Only 2 of the 31 strains tested, 1 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus abscess isolate and 1 nasal carriage methicillin-susceptible S. aureus isolate, were lukF-PV negative. All methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains were SCCmec type IV. PVL was produced by all strains harboring lukF-PV, although a marked strain-to-strain variation was observed. Twenty-six (90%) of 29 strains produced 50-350 ng/mL of PVL; the remaining strains produced PVL in excess of 500 ng/mL. The quantity of PVL produced in vitro did not correlate with severity of infection. CONCLUSIONS: Although PVL likely plays an important role in the pathogenesis of these infections, its mere presence is not solely responsible for the increased severity. Factors that up-regulate toxin synthesis in vivo could contribute to more-severe disease and worse outcomes in patients with community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection.

Capnocytophaga canimorsus meningitis after routine myelography: a sentinel event identifies multiple opportunities for improvement of standard practices in radiology.

Meningitis developed after a routine myelogram in a healthy patient. When Capnocytophaga canimorsus was identified, investigations revealed that the patient, the radiologist, and the staff were all dog owners. Multiple deviations from recommended practices in radiology were identified and corrected. The investigation of an unusual sentinel event allowed multiple interventions to be implemented simultaneously, with resultant risk reduction for subsequent radiologic procedures.

Being ready to treat Ebola virus disease patients.

As the outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in West Africa continues, clinical preparedness is needed in countries at risk for EVD (e.g., United States) and more fully equipped and supported clinical teams in those countries with epidemic spread of EVD in Africa. Clinical staff must approach the patient with a very deliberate focus on providing effective care while assuring personal safety. To do this, both individual health care providers and health systems must improve EVD care. Although formal guidance toward these goals exists from the World Health Organization, Medecin Sans Frontières, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other groups, some of the most critical lessons come from personal experience. In this narrative, clinicians deployed by the World Health Organization into a wide range of clinical settings in West Africa distill key, practical considerations for working safely and effectively with patients with EVD.

Phase II, dose ranging study of the safety and immunogenicity of single dose West Nile vaccine in healthy adults ≥ 50 years of age.

INTRODUCTION: ChimeriVax-WN02 is a live, attenuated chimeric vaccine for protection against West Nile virus (WNV) produced by insertion of the genes encoding the pre-membrane (prM) and envelope (E) proteins of WNV (strain NY99) into the yellow fever 7D vaccine virus. This Phase II, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-center study in the US assessed the immunogenicity, viremia, and safety of the ChimeriVax-WN02 vaccine. METHODS: The study included adults in general good health. Subjects aged ≥ 50 years were randomized to one of four treatment groups: ChimeriVax-WN02 4 × 10(3) plaque-forming units (pfu) (n=122), 4 × 10(4)pfu (n=124), 4 × 10(5)pfu (n=113), or placebo (n=120). A subset of subjects was randomized to assess viremia after vaccination at three different dose levels. Subjects were followed for safety up to 6 months after vaccination. RESULTS: A total of 121 subjects for WN024 × 10(3), 122 for WN02 4 × 10(4), 110 for WN02 4 × 10(5), and 120 for the placebo group completed the study up to the 6-month safety follow-up. Seroconversion, as measured by plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT), was achieved at Day 28 by 92.1%, 93.2%, and 95.4% of subjects in the WN02 4 × 10(3), the WN02 4 × 10(4), and the WN02 4 × 10(5) groups, respectively. Viremia was transient, detected between Days 2 and 14 but not at Day 28, and in most cases did not reach the quantification threshold. The percentage of subjects reporting at least one event of reactogenicity was similar in the placebo and active vaccine groups and showed no dose relationship. CONCLUSIONS: The ChimeriVax-WN02 vaccine was highly immunogenic and well tolerated among subjects ≥ 50 years old at all dose levels.

Immunological priming induced by a two-dose series of H5N1 influenza antigen, administered alone or in combination with two different formulations of AS03 adjuvant in adults: results of a randomised single heterologous booster dose study at 15 months.

One influenza pandemic preparedness strategy involves priming a population with a pre-pandemic subtype-specific vaccine and boosting the immunological response at the time of the pandemic with a strain-matched vaccine. In the current study, adults (n=469) randomised 15 months previously to receive an A/Indonesia/5/2005 (H5N1) influenza vaccine (3.75 µg haemagglutinin antigen [HA]) administered alone or in combination with an oil-in-water emulsion based Adjuvant System containing 11.86 mg (AS03(A)) or 5.93 mg (AS03(B)) tocopherol per dose, received one booster dose of A/turkey/Turkey/1/2005 (H5N1) vaccine (3.75 µg HA) with or without AS03(A). An anamnestic antibody response that met US regulatory acceptance criteria was observed 15 months after priming. Although superior immunogenicity of AS03-adjuvanted compared to unadjuvanted priming was not demonstrated, higher antibody titres which persisted longer were seen when both priming and boosting regimens were adjuvanted. This may affect duration of response or heterologous immunity. The booster vaccines had a clinically acceptable safety/reactogenicity profile after adjuvanted or unadjuvanted priming. This study has been registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov NCT00771615.