Immunity to Haemophilus influenzae type b polysaccharide capsule after vaccination with the complete series of oligosaccharide CRM197 conjugate vaccine in infants with human immunodeficiency virus infection.

Abstract

We evaluated immunity to Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) in 18 human immunodeficiency virus-infected infants who were vaccinated with a complete series of Hib conjugate vaccine. Four months after the primary series, the geometric mean anticapsular antibody concentration in 11 children was 0.40 microgram/ml. There were no significant differences in CD4+ cell counts or in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention disease classification according to the presence of immunity to Hib. Four months after the booster dose, the geometric mean anticapsular antibody concentration in the 18 children was 0.82 microgram/ml. Children with immunity were more likely than children lacking immunity to have higher CD4+ cell counts and mild human immunodeficiency virus-related disease. The majority of the anticapsular antibody concentrations were lower than in healthy children.