Regulatory workshop on challenge strain development and GMP manufacture - A stakeholder meeting report.

Within the Innovative Health Initiative (IHI) Inno4Vac CHIMICHURRI project, a regulatory workshop was organised on the development and manufacture of challenge agent strains for Controlled Human Infection Model (CHIM) studies. Developers are often uncertain about which GMP requirements or regulatory guidelines apply but should be guided by the 2022 technical white paper "Considerations on the Principles of Development and Manufacturing Qualities of Challenge Agents for Use in Human Infection Models" (published by hVIVO, Wellcome Trust, HIC-Vac consortium members). Where those recommendations cannot be met, regulators advise following the "Principles of GMP" until definitive guidelines are available. Sourcing wild-type virus isolates is a significant challenge for developers. Still, it is preferred over reverse genetics challenge strains for several reasons, including implications and regulations around genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Official informed consent guidelines for collecting isolates are needed, and the characterisation of these isolates still presents risks and uncertainty. Workshop topics included ethics, liability, standardised clinical endpoints, selection criteria, sharing of challenge agents, and addressing population heterogeneity concerning vaccine response and clinical course. The organisers are confident that the workshop discussions will contribute to advancing ethical, safe, and high-quality CHIM studies of influenza, RSV and C. difficile, including adequate regulatory frameworks.

Respiratory syncytial virus acute respiratory infections in ≥ 65-year-old adults in long-term care facilities in the Czech Republic.

OBJECTIVES: Due to immunosenescence and presence of comorbidities, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) disease burden is a major health concern in older adults, which is expected to increase with the life expectancy rise. Data on RSV burden are scarce in older adults residing in long-term care facilities, a vulnerable population living in crowded settings. Therefore, two independent prospective studies were conducted during the 2003-2004 and 2004-2005 RSV seasons to assess RSV acute respiratory illnesses (ARIs) and lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) in ≥ 65-year-old adults residing in long-term care facilities in the Czech Republic. METHODS: RSV ARI episodes were confirmed by polymerase chain reaction in nasal swabs collected within 3 days of symptoms onset. The mortality and morbidity of RSV-confirmed ARIs, as well as the risk factors associated with RSV-confirmed ARIs were evaluated. RESULTS: Among 1,251 participants in the 2003-2004 season (ARI surveillance between October and March), there were no RSV-positive cases in 255 ARI and 105 LRTI episodes. Among 1,280 participants in the 2004-2005 season (ARI surveillance between October and April), there were 39 and 26 RSV-positive cases in 335 ARI and 217 LRTI episodes, respectively, and RSV-positive ARI and LRTI episode incidence rates were 45.82 and 30.40 per 1,000 person-years. Among 290 RSV-negative and 39 RSV-positive ARI cases in the 2004-2005 season, 15 and 4 hospitalizations, 188 and 26 LRTIs, and 11 and 3 deaths were reported. Risk factors associated with RSV-positive ARI were female gender (odds ratio: 4.98), chronic heart failure class II (odds ratio: 2.31) and diabetes requiring insulin treatment (odds ratio: 9.82). CONCLUSIONS: These studies showed that RSV was an important cause of ARI in older adults living in long-term care facilities in the 2004-2005 season, with fluctuating yearly incidences.

Testing Pneumonia Vaccines in the Elderly: Determining a Case Definition for Pneumococcal Pneumonia in the Absence of a Gold Standard.

Clinical assessments of vaccines to prevent pneumococcal community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) require sensitive and specific case definitions, but there is no gold standard diagnostic test. To develop a new case definition suitable for vaccine efficacy studies, we applied latent class analysis (LCA) to the results from 7 diagnostic tests for pneumococcal etiology on clinical specimens from 323 elderly persons with radiologically confirmed pneumonia enrolled in the Finnish Community-Acquired Pneumonia Epidemiology study during 2005-2007. Compared with the conventional use of LCA, which is mainly to determine sensitivities and specificities of different tests, we instead used LCA as an appropriate instrument to predict the probability of pneumococcal etiology for each CAP case based on individual test profiles, and we used the predictions to minimize the sample size that would be needed for a vaccine efficacy trial. When compared with the conventional laboratory criteria of encapsulated pneumococci in culture, in blood culture or high-quality sputum culture, or urine antigen positivity, our optimized case definition for pneumococcal CAP resulted in a trial sample size that was almost 20,000 subjects smaller. We believe that the novel application of LCA detailed here to determine a case definition for pneumococcal CAP could also be similarly applied to other diseases without a gold standard.

Longitudinal profiling of the lung microbiome in the AERIS study demonstrates repeatability of bacterial and eosinophilic COPD exacerbations.

BACKGROUND: Alterations in the composition of the lung microbiome associated with adverse clinical outcomes, known as dysbiosis, have been implicated with disease severity and exacerbations in COPD. OBJECTIVE: To characterise longitudinal changes in the lung microbiome in the AERIS study (Acute Exacerbation and Respiratory InfectionS in COPD) and their relationship with associated COPD outcomes. METHODS: We surveyed 584 sputum samples from 101 patients with COPD to analyse the lung microbiome at both stable and exacerbation time points over 1 year using high-throughput sequencing of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene. We incorporated additional lung microbiology, blood markers and in-depth clinical assessments to classify COPD phenotypes. RESULTS: The stability of the lung microbiome over time was more likely to be decreased in exacerbations and within individuals with higher exacerbation frequencies. Analysis of exacerbation phenotypes using a Markov chain model revealed that bacterial and eosinophilic exacerbations were more likely to be repeated in subsequent exacerbations within a subject, whereas viral exacerbations were not more likely to be repeated. We also confirmed the association of bacterial genera, including Haemophilus and Moraxella, with disease severity, exacerbation events and bronchiectasis. CONCLUSIONS: Subtypes of COPD have distinct bacterial compositions and stabilities over time. Some exacerbation subtypes have non-random probabilities of repeating those subtypes in the future. This study provides insights pertaining to the identification of bacterial targets in the lung and biomarkers to classify COPD subtypes and to determine appropriate treatments for the patient. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: Results, NCT01360398.

Impact of radiologically stratified exacerbations: insights into pneumonia aetiology in COPD.

BACKGROUND: COPD patients have increased risk of developing pneumonia, which is associated with poor outcomes. It can be symptomatically indistinguishable from exacerbations, making diagnosis challenging. Studies of pneumonia in COPD have focused on hospitalised patients and are not representative of the ambulant COPD population. Therefore, we sought to determine the incidence and aetiology of acute exacerbation events with evidence of pneumonic radiographic infiltrates in an outpatient COPD cohort. METHODS: One hundred twenty-seven patients with moderate to very severe COPD aged 42-85 years underwent blood and sputum sampling over one year, at monthly stable visits and within 72 h of exacerbation symptom onset. 343 exacerbations with chest radiographs were included. RESULTS: 20.1% of exacerbations had pneumonic infiltrates. Presence of infiltrate was highly seasonal (Winter vs summer OR 3.056, p = 0.027). In paired analyses these exacerbation events had greater increases in systemic inflammation. Bacterial detection rate was higher in the pneumonic group, with Haemophilus influenzae the most common bacteria in both radiological groups. Viral detection and sputum microbiota did not differ with chest radiograph appearance. CONCLUSIONS: In an outpatient COPD cohort, pneumonic infiltrates at exacerbation were common, and associated with more intense inflammation. Bacterial pathogen detection and lung microbiota were not distinct, suggesting that exacerbations and pneumonia in COPD share common infectious triggers and represent a continuum of severity rather than distinct aetiological events. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Trial registration Number: NCT01360398 .

Relationship of CT-quantified emphysema, small airways disease and bronchial wall dimensions with physiological, inflammatory and infective measures in COPD.

BACKGROUND: COPD is a complex, heterogeneous disease characterised by progressive development of airflow limitation. Spirometry provides little information about key aspects of pathology and is poorly related to clinical outcome, so other tools are required to investigate the disease. We sought to explore the relationships between quantitative CT analysis with functional, inflammatory and infective assessments of disease to identify the utility of imaging to stratify disease to better predict outcomes and disease response. METHODS: Patients from the AERIS study with moderate-very severe COPD underwent HRCT, with image analysis determining the quantity of emphysema (%LAA<- 950), small airways disease (E/I MLD) and bronchial wall thickening (Pi10). At enrolment subjects underwent lung function testing, six-minute walk testing (6MWT), blood sampling for inflammatory markers and sputum sampling for white cell differential and microbiological culture and PCR. RESULTS: 122 subjects were included in this analysis. Emphysema and small airways disease had independent associations with airflow obstruction (ß = - 0.34, p < 0.001 and ß = - 0.56, p < 0.001). %LAA<- 950 had independent associations with gas transfer (ß = - 0.37, p < 0.001) and E/I MLD with RV/TLC (ß = 0.30, p =0.003). The distance walked during the 6MWT was not associated with CT parameters, but exertional desaturation was independently associated with emphysema (ß = 0.73, p < 0.001). Pi10 did not show any independent associations with lung function or functional parameters. No CT parameters had any associations with sputum inflammatory cells. Greater emphysema was associated with lower levels of systemic inflammation (CRP ß = - 0.34, p < 0.001 and fibrinogen ß = - 0.28, p =0.003). There was no significant difference in any of the CT parameters between subjects where potentially pathogenic bacteria were detected in sputum and those where it was not. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides further validation for the use of quantitative CT measures of emphysema and small airways disease in COPD as they showed strong associations with pulmonary physiology and functional status. In contrast to this quantitative CT measures showed few convincing associations with biological measures of disease, suggesting it is not an effective tool at measuring disease activity.

A prospective, observational cohort study of the seasonal dynamics of airway pathogens in the aetiology of exacerbations in COPD.

BACKGROUND: The aetiology of acute exacerbations of COPD (AECOPD) is incompletely understood. Understanding the relationship between chronic bacterial airway infection and viral exposure may explain the incidence and seasonality of these events. METHODS: In this prospective, observational cohort study (NCT01360398), patients with COPD aged 40-85 years underwent sputum sampling monthly and at exacerbation for detection of bacteria and viruses. Results are presented for subjects in the full cohort, followed for 1 year. Interactions between exacerbation occurrence and pathogens were investigated by generalised estimating equation and stratified conditional logistic regression analyses. FINDINGS: The mean exacerbation rate per patient-year was 3.04 (95% CI 2.63 to 3.50). At AECOPD, the most common bacterial species were non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) and Moraxella catarrhalis, and the most common virus was rhinovirus. Logistic regression analyses (culture bacterial detection) showed significant OR for AECOPD occurrence when M. catarrhalis was detected regardless of season (5.09 (95% CI 2.76 to 9.41)). When NTHi was detected, the increased risk of exacerbation was greater in high season (October-March, OR 3.04 (1.80 to 5.13)) than low season (OR 1.22 (0.68 to 2.22)). Bacterial and viral coinfection was more frequent at exacerbation (24.9%) than stable state (8.6%). A significant interaction was detected between NTHi and rhinovirus presence and AECOPD risk (OR 5.18 (1.92 to 13.99); p=0.031). CONCLUSIONS: AECOPD aetiology varies with season. Rises in incidence in winter may be driven by increased pathogen presence as well as an interaction between NTHi airway infection and effects of viral infection. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: Results, NCT01360398.

Impact and associations of eosinophilic inflammation in COPD: analysis of the AERIS cohort.

Eosinophilic inflammation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) predicts response to treatment, especially corticosteroids. We studied the nature of eosinophilic inflammation in COPD prospectively to examine the stability of this phenotype and its dynamics across exacerbations, and its associations with clinical phenotype, exacerbations and infection.127 patients aged 40-85 years with moderate to very severe COPD underwent repeated blood and sputum sampling at stable visits and within 72 h of exacerbation for 1 year.Blood eosinophils ≥2% was prevalent at baseline, and predicted both predominantly raised stable-state eosinophils across the year (area under the curve 0.841, 95% CI 0.755-0.928) and increased risk of eosinophilic inflammation at exacerbation (OR 9.16; p<0.001). Eosinophils ≥2% at exacerbation and eosinophil predominance at stable visits were associated with a lower risk of bacterial presence at exacerbation (OR 0.49; p=0.049 and OR 0.25; p=0.065, respectively). Bacterial infection at exacerbation was highly seasonal (winter versus summer OR 4.74; p=0.011) in predominantly eosinophilic patients.Eosinophilic inflammation is a common and stable phenotype in COPD. Blood eosinophil counts in the stable state can predict the nature of inflammation at future exacerbations, which when combined with an understanding of seasonal variation provides the basis for the development of new treatment paradigms for this important condition.

Seasonal influenza vaccination in patients with COPD: a systematic literature review.

BACKGROUND: Influenza is a frequent cause of exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Exacerbations are associated with worsening of the airflow obstruction, hospitalisation, reduced quality of life, disease progression, death, and ultimately, substantial healthcare-related costs. Despite longstanding recommendations to vaccinate vulnerable high-risk groups against seasonal influenza, including patients with COPD, vaccination rates remain sub-optimal in this population. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review to summarise current evidence from randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies on the immunogenicity, safety, efficacy, and effectiveness of seasonal influenza vaccination in patients with COPD. The selection of relevant articles was based on a three-step selection procedure according to predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. The search yielded 650 unique hits of which 48 eligible articles were screened in full-text. RESULTS: Seventeen articles describing 13 different studies were found to be pertinent to this review. Results of four RCTs and one observational study demonstrate that seasonal influenza vaccination is immunogenic in patients with COPD. Two studies assessed the occurrence of COPD exacerbations 14 days after influenza vaccination and found no evidence of an increased risk of exacerbation. Three RCTs showed no significant difference in the occurrence of systemic effects between groups receiving influenza vaccine or placebo. Six out of seven studies on vaccine efficacy or effectiveness indicated long-term benefits of seasonal influenza vaccination, such as reduced number of exacerbations, reduced hospitalisations and outpatient visits, and decreased all-cause and respiratory mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Additional large and well-designed observational studies would contribute to understanding the impact of disease severity and patient characteristics on the response to influenza vaccination. Overall, the evidence supports a positive benefit-risk ratio for seasonal influenza vaccination in patients with COPD, and supports current vaccination recommendations in this population.

A multi-criteria decision making approach to identify a vaccine formulation.

This article illustrates the use of a multi-criteria decision making approach, based on desirability functions, to identify an appropriate adjuvant composition for an influenza vaccine to be used in elderly. The proposed adjuvant system contained two main elements: monophosphoryl lipid and α-tocopherol with squalene in an oil/water emulsion. The objective was to elicit a stronger immune response while maintaining an acceptable reactogenicity and safety profile. The study design, the statistical models, the choice of the desirability functions, the computation of the overall desirability index, and the assessment of the robustness of the ranking are all detailed in this manuscript.

Respiratory syncytial virus and other respiratory viral infections in older adults with moderate to severe influenza-like illness.

BACKGROUND: Few studies have prospectively assessed viral etiologies of acute respiratory infections in community-based elderly individuals. We assessed viral respiratory pathogens in individuals ≥65 years with influenza-like illness (ILI). METHODS: Multiplex reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction identified viral pathogens in nasal/throat swabs from 556 episodes of moderate-to-severe ILI, defined as ILI with pneumonia, hospitalization, or maximum daily influenza symptom severity score (ISS) >2. Cases were selected from a randomized trial of an adjuvanted vs nonadjuvanted influenza vaccine conducted in elderly adults from 15 countries. RESULTS: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) was detected in 7.4% (41/556) moderate-to-severe ILI episodes in elderly adults. Most (39/41) were single infections. There was a significant association between country and RSV detection (P = .004). RSV prevalence was 7.1% (2/28) in ILI with pneumonia, 12.5% (8/64) in ILI with hospitalization, and 6.7% (32/480) in ILI with maximum ISS > 2. Any virus was detected in 320/556 (57.6%) ILI episodes: influenza A (104/556, 18.7%), rhinovirus/enterovirus (82/556, 14.7%), coronavirus and human metapneumovirus (each 32/556, 5.6%). CONCLUSIONS: This first global study providing data on RSV disease in ≥65 year-olds confirms that RSV is an important respiratory pathogen in the elderly. Preventative measures such as vaccination could decrease severe respiratory illnesses and complications in the elderly.

Immunogenicity and safety of quadrivalent versus trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine: a randomized, controlled trial in adults.

BACKGROUND: Two phylogenetic lineages of influenza B virus coexist and circulate in the human population (B/Yamagata and B/Victoria) but only one B-strain is included in each seasonal vaccine. Mismatch regularly occurs between the recommended and circulating B-strain. Inclusion of both lineages in vaccines may offer better protection against influenza. METHODS: This study (NCT00714285) assessed the immunogenicity and safety of two candidate quadrivalent influenza vaccines (QIV) containing two A- and two B-strains (one from each lineage) in adults (18-60 years). Subjects were randomized and stratified by age to receive either QIV (non-adjuvanted or low-dose adjuvanted [LD QIV-AS]) or trivalent influenza vaccine (TIV, non-adjuvanted or low-dose adjuvanted [LD TIV-AS]), N = 105 in all treatment groups. The study evaluated the statistical non-inferiority of the immunological response elicited by QIV and LD QIV-AS versus TIV and LD TIV-AS and the statistical superiority of the response elicited by the quadrivalent vaccines against the B-strain (B/Jiangsu) not included in the TIV. RESULTS: Pre-defined non-inferiority and superiority criteria were reached for both QIVs compared to the TIVs. On Day 21 in all vaccine groups SCRs were ≥54.8%, SPRs ≥88.5% and SCFs ≥5.4 for the A strains and B strain included in all vaccines (B/Malaysia). This fulfilled the European (CHMP) and the US (CBER) licensing criteria for the assessment of influenza vaccines in adults (CHMP criteria: SCR > 40%, SPR > 70%, SCF > 2; CBER criteria: LL of 95% CI for SPR ≥ 70% or SCR ≥ 40%). Only the QIVs met the CHMP and CBER criteria for the B/Jiangsu strain. In the QIV and LD-QIV-AS groups, the SCFs were 9.1 and 8.1, respectively and the SPRs were 98.1% and 95.2%, whereas for the TIV and LD-TIV-AS groups, the SCFs were 2.3 and 2.5, respectively, and the SPRs were 75.0% and 63.8%, with the LLs of the 95% CI <70% for SPR and <40% for SCR. CONCLUSIONS: Addition of a fourth strain did not impact the immune response elicited by the three original strains contained in the TIV. A clear immunological benefit was seen with the QIV formulation for the second B-strain, indicating that quadrivalent vaccines could provide broader protection against influenza. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT00714285.

Selection of an adjuvant for seasonal influenza vaccine in elderly people: modelling immunogenicity from a randomized trial.

BACKGROUND: Improved influenza vaccines are needed to reduce influenza-associated complications in older adults. The aim of this study was to identify the optimal formulation of adjuvanted seasonal influenza vaccine for use in elderly people. METHODS: This observer-blind, randomized study assessed the optimal formulation of adjuvanted seasonal influenza vaccine based on immunogenicity and safety in participants aged ≥65 years. Participants were randomized (~200 per group) to receive one dose of non-adjuvanted vaccine or one of eight formulations of vaccine formulated with a squalene and tocopherol oil-in-water emulsion-based Adjuvant System (AS03(C), AS03(B) or AS03(A), with 2.97, 5.93 and 11.86 mg tocopherol, respectively) together with the immunostimulant monophosphoryl lipid A (MPL, doses of 0, 25 or 50 mg). Hemagglutination-inhibition (HI) antibody responses and T-cell responses were assessed on Day 0 and 21 days post-vaccination. The ratio of HI-based geometric mean titers in adjuvanted versus non-adjuvanted vaccine groups were calculated and the lower limit of the 90% confidence interval was transformed into a desirability index (a value between 0 and 1) in an experimental domain for each vaccine strain, and plotted in relation to the AS03 and MPL dose combination in the formulation. This model was used to assess the optimal formulation based on HI antibody titers. Reactogenicity and safety were also assessed. The immunogenicity and safety analyses were used to evaluate the optimal formulation of adjuvanted vaccine. RESULTS: In the HI antibody-based model, an AS03 dose-response was evident; responses against the A/H1N1 and A/H3N2 strains were higher for all adjuvanted formulations versus non-adjuvanted vaccine, and for the AS03(A)-MPL25, AS03(B)-MPL25 and AS03(B)-MPL50 formulations against the B strain. Modelling using more stringent criteria (post hoc) showed a clear dose-range effect for the AS03 component against all strains, whereas MPL showed a limited effect. Higher T-cell responses for adjuvanted versus non-adjuvanted vaccine were observed for all except two formulations (AS03(C) and AS03(B)-MPL25). Reactogenicity increased with increasing AS03 dosage, and with MPL. No safety concerns were raised. CONCLUSIONS: Five formulations containing AS03(A) or AS03(B) were identified as potential candidates to improve immune responses to influenza vaccination; AS03(B) without MPL showed the best balance between improved immunogenicity and acceptable reactogenicity. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT00540592.

Safety and immunogenicity of a monovalent 2009 influenza A/H1N1v vaccine adjuvanted with AS03A or unadjuvanted in HIV-infected adults: a randomized, controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients have decreased immune response to vaccines. Few data are available about pandemic flu vaccination in this population. METHODS: We conducted a multicenter, patient-blinded, randomized trial in a cohort of HIV-infected adults. Patients received 2 injections 21 days apart of a AS03(A)-adjuvanted H1N1v vaccine containing 3.75 µg hemagglutinin (HA) or a nonadjuvanted H1N1v vaccine containing 15 µg HA to assess hemagglutination inhibition (HI) response and safety. RESULTS: A total of 309 patients were randomized, and 306 were vaccinated. After the first vaccine dose, HI titers ≥1:40 were observed in 93.4% of the patients in the adjuvanted group (A group) (n = 155) and in 75.5% in the nonadjuvanted group (B group) (n = 151) (P < .001); seroconversion rates were 88.8% and 71.2%, and factor increases in geometric mean titers (GMT) of 21.9 and 15.1, respectively. After 2 injections, 98.6% of patients of the A group and 92.1% of the B group demonstrated HI titers ≥1:40 (P = .018); seroconversion rates were 96.5% and 87.1%, respectively, and factor increases in GMT were 45.5 and 21.2, respectively. The majority of adverse events were mild to moderate in severity; no impact on CD4+ cell count or viral load has been detected. CONCLUSIONS: In HIV-1-infected adults, the AS03(A)-adjuvanted H1N1v vaccine yielded a higher immune response than did the nonadjuvanted one, with no impact on HIV infection.

Real-time PCR has advantages over culture-based methods in identifying major airway bacterial pathogens in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Results from three clinical studies in Europe and North America.

Introduction: We compared the performance of real-time PCR with culture-based methods for identifying bacteria in sputum samples from patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in three studies. Methods: This was an exploratory analysis of sputum samples collected during an observational study of 127 patients (AERIS; NCT01360398), phase 2 study of 145 patients (NTHI-004; NCT02075541), and phase 2b study of 606 patients (NTHI-MCAT-002; NCT03281876). Bacteria were identified by culture-based microbiological methods in local laboratories using fresh samples or by real-time PCR in a central laboratory using frozen samples. Haemophilus influenzae positivity with culture was differentiated from H. haemolyticus positivity by microarray analysis or PCR. The feasibility of bacterial detection by culture-based methods on previously frozen samples was also examined in the NTHI-004 study. Results: Bacterial detection results from both culture-based and PCR assays were available from 2,293 samples from AERIS, 974 from the NTHI-004 study, and 1736 from the NTHI-MCAT-002 study. Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) showed higher positivity rates than culture for H. influenzae (percentages for each study: 43.4% versus 26.2%, 47.1% versus 23.6%, 32.7% versus 10.4%) and Moraxella catarrhalis (12.9% versus 6.3%, 19.0% versus 6.0%, 15.5% versus 4.1%). In the NTHI-004 and NTHI-MCAT-002 studies, positivity rates were higher with qPCR for Streptococcus pneumoniae (15.6% versus 6.1%, 15.5% versus 3.8%); in AERIS, a lower rate with qPCR than with culture (11.0% versus 17.4%) was explained by misidentification of S. pseudopneumoniae/mitis isolates via conventional microbiological methods. Concordance analysis showed lowest overall agreement for H. influenzae (82.0%, 75.6%, 77.6%), due mainly to culture-negative/qPCR-positive samples, indicating lower sensitivity of the culture-based methods. The lowest positive agreement (culture-positive/qPCR-positive samples) was observed for S. pneumoniae (35.1%, 71.2%, 71.2%). Bacterial load values for each species showed a proportion of culture-negative samples with a load detected by qPCR; for some samples, the loads were in line with those observed in culture-positive samples. In the NTHI-004 study, of fresh samples that tested culture-positive, less than 50% remained culture-positive when tested from freeze/thawed samples. In the NTHI-004 study, of fresh samples that tested culture-positive, less than 50% remained culture-positive when tested from freeze/thawed samples. Discussion: Real-time PCR on frozen sputum samples has enhanced sensitivity and specificity over culture-based methods, supporting its use for the identification of common respiratory bacterial species in patients with COPD.

Impact of bacterial strain acquisition in the lung of patients with COPD: the AERIS study.

BACKGROUND: Bacterial infections are associated with acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD), but the mechanism is incompletely understood. METHOD: In a COPD observational study (NCT01360398), sputum samples were collected monthly at the stable state and exacerbation. Post-hoc analyses of 1307 non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) isolates from 20 patients and 756 Moraxella catarrhalis isolates from 38 patients in one year of follow-up were conducted by multilocus sequence typing (MLST). All isolates came from cultured sputum samples that were analyzed for bacterial species presence, apparition (infection not detected at the preceding visit), or acquisition (first-time infection), with the first study visit as a baseline. Strain apparition or new strain acquisition was analyzed by MLST. The odds ratio (OR) of experiencing an exacerbation vs. stable state was estimated by conditional logistic regression modelling, stratified by patient. RESULTS: The culture results confirmed a significant association with exacerbation only for NTHi species presence (OR 2.28; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.12-4.64) and strain apparition (OR 2.38; 95% CI: 1.08-5.27). For M. catarrhalis, although confidence intervals overlapped, the association with exacerbation for first-time species acquisition (OR 5.99; 2.75-13.02) appeared stronger than species presence (OR 3.67; 2.10-6.40), new strain acquisition (OR 2.94; 1.43-6.04), species apparition (OR 4.18; 2.29-7.63), and strain apparition (OR 2.78; 1.42-5.42). This may suggest that previous M. catarrhalis colonization may modify the risk of exacerbation associated with M. catarrhalis infection. CONCLUSIONS: The results confirm that NTHi and M. catarrhalis infections are associated with AECOPD but suggest different dynamic mechanisms in triggering exacerbations.

Efficacy of inactivated split-virus influenza vaccine against culture-confirmed influenza in healthy adults: a prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: A new trivalent inactivated split-virus influenza vaccine (TIV) was recently introduced in the United States. We assessed the efficacy of TIV against culture-confirmed influenza A and/or B. METHODS: In this double-blind trial conducted from September 2006 to May 2007 in the Czech Republic and Finland, participants aged 18-64 years were randomized to receive 1 dose of TIV (n = 5103) or placebo (n = 2549). Influenza-like illnesses (ILI) (defined as at least 1 systemic symptom [fever {oral temperature, > or = 37.8 degrees C} and/or myalgia] and at least 1 respiratory symptom [cough and/or sore throat]) were identified by both active (biweekly phone contact) and passive surveillance. Nasal and throat swab specimens were collected for viral culture. RESULTS: The attack rate for culture-confirmed ILI was 3.2% in the placebo group, with most strains identified as influenza A (all except 1 were H3N2) matching the vaccine strain. There were 6 cases of influenza B, all of which were of a different lineage (Yamagata) than the vaccine strain. Vaccine efficacy against culture-confirmed influenza A and/or B due to strains antigenically matched to the vaccine was 66.9% (95% confidence interval [CI], 51.9%-77.4%; P < .001) and to any strain was 61.6% (95% CI, 46.0%-72.8%; P < .001). CONCLUSION: TIV is efficacious against culture-confirmed influenza in healthy adults. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00363870.

Challenge of conducting a placebo-controlled randomized efficacy study for influenza vaccine in a season with low attack rate and a mismatched vaccine B strain: a concrete example.

BACKGROUND: Our aim was to determine the efficacy of a trivalent inactivated split virus influenza vaccine (TIV) against culture-confirmed influenza A and/or B in adults 18 to 64 years of age during the 2005/2006 season in the Czech Republic. METHODS: 6203 subjects were randomized to receive TIV (N = 4137) or placebo (N = 2066). The sample size was based on an assumed attack rate of 4% which provided 90% power to reject the hypothesis that vaccine efficacy (VE) was > or = 45%. Cases of influenza like illness (defined as fever (oral temperature > or =37.8 degrees C) plus cough and/or sore throat) were identified both by active (biweekly phone contact) and passive (self reporting) surveillance and nasal and throat swabs were collected from subjects for viral culture. RESULTS: TIV was well tolerated and induced a good immune response. The 2005/2006 influenza season was exceptionally mild in the study area, as it was throughout Europe, and only 46 culture-confirmed cases were found in the study cohort (10 influenza A and 36 influenza B). Furthermore among the B isolates, 35 were identified as B/Hong Kong 330/2001-like (B/Victoria/2/87 lineage) which is antigenically unrelated to the vaccine B strain (B/Yamagata/16/88 lineage). The attack rate in the vaccine group (0.7%) was not statistically significantly different from the attack rate in the placebo group (0.9%). CONCLUSION: Due to the atypical nature of the influenza season during this study we were unable to assess TIV efficacy. This experience illustrates the challenge of conducting a prospective influenza vaccine efficacy trial during a single season when influenza attack rates and drift in circulating strains or B virus lineage match can be difficult to estimate in advance. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical trial registery: NCT00197223.

Drivers of year-to-year variation in exacerbation frequency of COPD: analysis of the AERIS cohort.

The association between exacerbation aetiology and exacerbation frequency is poorly understood. We analysed 2-year follow-up data from a prospective observational study of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (www.clinicaltrials.gov identifier number NCT01360398) to evaluate year-to-year variation in exacerbation frequency and related aetiology. A total of 127 patients underwent blood and sputum sampling monthly and at exacerbation to detect respiratory infections and eosinophilic inflammation; 103 continued into year 2 and 88 completed both years. The most common bacterial species at stable state and exacerbation was Haemophilus influenzae. Among infrequent exacerbators (one exacerbation per year), the incidence of viral infection at exacerbation was high (60.0% (95% CI 35.1-81.7%) in year 1 and 78.6% (53.4-94.2%) in year 2). Those with more frequent exacerbations tended to have higher relative incidence of bacterial than viral infection. Patients with at least two additional exacerbations in year 2 versus year 1 had a higher risk of H. influenzae colonisation at stable state than those with at least two fewer exacerbations, as detected by culture (OR 1.43 (95% CI 0.71-2.91) versus 0.63 (0.40-1.01), p=0.06) and PCR (1.76 (95% CI 0.88-3.51) versus 0.56 (0.37-0.86), p<0.01). This was not seen with other infection types or eosinophilic inflammation. Analysis of the same cohort over 2 years showed, for the first time, that changes in yearly COPD exacerbation rate may be associated with variations in H. influenzae colonisation.

Antigen sparing and cross-reactive immunity with an adjuvanted rH5N1 prototype pandemic influenza vaccine: a randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Antigen sparing is regarded as crucial for pandemic vaccine development because worldwide influenza vaccine production capacity is limited. Adjuvantation is an important antigen-sparing strategy. We assessed the safety and immunogenicity of a recombinant H5N1 split-virion vaccine formulated with a proprietary adjuvant system and investigated whether it can induce cross-reactive immunity. METHODS: Two doses of an inactivated split A/Vietnam/1194/2004 NIBRG-14 (recombinant H5N1 engineered by reverse genetics) vaccine were administered 21 days apart to eight groups of 50 volunteers aged 18-60 years. We studied four antigen doses (3.8 microg, 7.5 microg, 15 microg, and 30 microg haemagglutinin) given with or without adjuvant. Blood samples were collected to analyse humoral immune response. Adverse events were recorded up through study day 51. Safety analyses were of the whole vaccinated cohort and immunogenicity analyses per protocol. This trial is registered with the ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00309634. FINDINGS: All eight vaccine formulations had a good safety profile. No serious adverse events were reported. The adjuvanted vaccines induced more injection-site symptoms and general symptoms than did the non-adjuvanted vaccines, but most were mild to moderate in intensity and transient in nature. The adjuvanted formulations were significantly more immunogenic than the non-adjuvanted formulations at all antigen doses. At the lowest antigenic dose (3.8 microg), immune responses for the adjuvanted vaccine against the recombinant homologous vaccine strain (A/Vietnam/1194/2004 NIBRG-14, clade 1) met or exceeded all US Food and Drug Administration and European Union licensure criteria. Furthermore, 37 of 48 (77%) participants receiving 3.8 microg of the adjuvanted vaccine seroconverted for neutralising antibodies against a strain derived by reverse genetics from a drifted H5N1 isolate (A/Indonesia/5/2005, clade 2). INTERPRETATION: Adjuvantation conferred significant antigen sparing that could increase the production capacity of pandemic influenza vaccine. Moreover, the cross-clade neutralising antibody responses recorded imply that such a vaccine could be deployed for immunisation before a pandemic.