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. 1999 May;67(5):2441-51.
doi: 10.1128/IAI.67.5.2441-2451.1999.

Humoral immune responses to Neisseria meningitidis in children

A J Pollard  1 , R Galassini, E M van der Voort, R Booy, P Langford, S Nadel, C Ison, J S Kroll, J Poolman, M Levin
Affiliations

Humoral immune responses to Neisseria meningitidis in children

A J Pollard et al. Infect Immun. 1999 May.

Abstract

An understanding of the nature of immunity to serogroup B meningococci in childhood is necessary in order to establish the reasons for poor responses to candidate vaccines in infancy. We sought to examine the nature of humoral immune responses following infection in relation to age. Serum bactericidal activity was poor in children under 12 months of age despite recent infection with Neisseria meningitidis. The highest levels of bactericidal activity were seen in children over 10 years of age. However, infants produced levels of total immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgG subclass antibodies similar to those in older children in a meningococcal enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Most antibody was of the IgG1 and IgG3 subclasses. This striking age dependency of bactericidal antibody response following infection is not apparently due to failure of class switching in infants but might be due to qualitative differences in antibody specificity or affinity.

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Figures

FIG. 1
FIG. 1
Serum bactericidal activity against six different PorA variants of N. meningitidis in sera. Geometric mean bactericidal titers and standard errors of the means either after meningococcal infection (a) or in healthy children (b) are reported in relation to age.
FIG. 2
FIG. 2
Whole-cell ELISA antibody levels against strain H44/76 in children with meningococcal infection, controls, siblings of children with meningococcal infection, and adults in relation to age. Means of the antibody concentration and standard errors of the means are reported for total IgG (a), IgG1 (b), IgG2 (c), IgG3 (d), IgG4 (e), and IgM (f).
FIG. 2
FIG. 2
Whole-cell ELISA antibody levels against strain H44/76 in children with meningococcal infection, controls, siblings of children with meningococcal infection, and adults in relation to age. Means of the antibody concentration and standard errors of the means are reported for total IgG (a), IgG1 (b), IgG2 (c), IgG3 (d), IgG4 (e), and IgM (f).
FIG. 2
FIG. 2
Whole-cell ELISA antibody levels against strain H44/76 in children with meningococcal infection, controls, siblings of children with meningococcal infection, and adults in relation to age. Means of the antibody concentration and standard errors of the means are reported for total IgG (a), IgG1 (b), IgG2 (c), IgG3 (d), IgG4 (e), and IgM (f).
FIG. 2
FIG. 2
Whole-cell ELISA antibody levels against strain H44/76 in children with meningococcal infection, controls, siblings of children with meningococcal infection, and adults in relation to age. Means of the antibody concentration and standard errors of the means are reported for total IgG (a), IgG1 (b), IgG2 (c), IgG3 (d), IgG4 (e), and IgM (f).
FIG. 2
FIG. 2
Whole-cell ELISA antibody levels against strain H44/76 in children with meningococcal infection, controls, siblings of children with meningococcal infection, and adults in relation to age. Means of the antibody concentration and standard errors of the means are reported for total IgG (a), IgG1 (b), IgG2 (c), IgG3 (d), IgG4 (e), and IgM (f).
FIG. 2
FIG. 2
Whole-cell ELISA antibody levels against strain H44/76 in children with meningococcal infection, controls, siblings of children with meningococcal infection, and adults in relation to age. Means of the antibody concentration and standard errors of the means are reported for total IgG (a), IgG1 (b), IgG2 (c), IgG3 (d), IgG4 (e), and IgM (f).
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References

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