Background: Chickenpox and zoster are an important cause of morbidity among children and adults. The ability of a new, thermostable vaccine to induce varicella-zoster-virus (VZV)-specific humoral and cell mediated immunity when given simultaneously with diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis vaccine (DTaP) as a booster dose in the second year of life was investigated.
Methods: A new, temperature stable varicella vaccine (OKA-strain, SB-Biologicals, Rixensart, Belgium) was given simultaneously with a booster dose of DTaP vaccine. VZV-specific humoral and cell-mediated immunity was studied in the first 27 out of 232 vaccinated children at 16-28 months of age, from blood samples drawn just before and six weeks after vaccination. VZV-specific antibody response, T-cell proliferation, cytokine production and expression of activation markers (CD25, HLADR) on T-cells were analyzed.
Results: Vaccination resulted in a significant rise of VZV-specific serum IgG titers and in a strong VZV-specific T-cell response in all vaccinated infants. Analysis of the expression of activation marker revealed activation of both CD4+-T-helper- and CD8+-T-cells.
Conclusions: The varicella vaccine given simultaneously with DTaP produced strong B- and T-cell responses alike. This is the first report to show that CMI to VZV is conferred to young children by vaccination with a temperature stable VZV vaccine.