Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Jan 23;23(1):152.
doi: 10.1186/s12889-023-15051-w.

Assessment of the influence of ABO blood groups on oral cholera vaccine immunogenicity in a cholera endemic area in Zambia

Caroline C Chisenga  1 , Samuel Bosomprah  2   3 , Obvious N Chilyabanyama  2 , Peter Alabi  2 , Michelo Simuyandi  2 , John Mwaba  2   4 , Harriet Ng'ombe  2   4 , Natasha M Laban  2 , Charlie C Luchen  2 , Roma Chilengi  2   5
Affiliations

Assessment of the influence of ABO blood groups on oral cholera vaccine immunogenicity in a cholera endemic area in Zambia

Caroline C Chisenga et al. BMC Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: Histo-blood group antigens (HBGAs) which include the ABO and Lewis antigen systems have been known for determining predisposition to infections. For instance, blood group O individuals have a higher risk of severe illness due to V. cholerae compared to those with non-blood group O antigens. We set out to determine the influence that these HBGAs have on oral cholera vaccine immunogenicity and seroconversion in individuals residing within a cholera endemic area in Zambia.

Methodology: We conducted a longitudinal study nested under a clinical trial in which samples from a cohort of 223 adults who were vaccinated with two doses of Shanchol™ and followed up over 4 years were used. We measured serum vibriocidal geometric mean titers (GMTs) at Baseline, Day 28, Months 6, 12, 24, 30, 36 and 48 in response to the vaccine. Saliva obtained at 1 year post vaccination was tested for HBGA phenotypes and secretor status using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

Results: Of the 133/223 participants included in the final analysis, the majority were above 34 years old (58%) and of these, 90% were males. Seroconversion rates to V. cholerae O1 Inaba with non-O (23%) and O (30%) blood types were comparable. The same pattern was observed against O1 Ogawa serotype between non-O (25%) and O (35%). This trend continued over the four-year follow-up period. Similarly, no significant differences were observed in seroconversion rates between the non-secretors (26%) and secretors (36%) against V. cholerae O1 Inaba. The same was observed for O1 Ogawa in non-secretors (22%) and the secretors (36%).

Conclusion: Our results do not support the idea that ABO blood grouping influence vaccine uptake and responses against cholera.

Keywords: Cholera; Histo-blood group antigens; Secretory status; Vaccine response, Zambia.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Authors declared no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Schema for sample collection and vaccination time points
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Flow diagram for study participant enrollments and follow-up
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Kinetics of vibriocidal GMTs at different time points (left) V. cholerae O1 Inaba (right) V. cholerae Ogawa for blood type O and non-O. There was a rise in antibody titres in both serotypes at day 28 and then started to decline close to baseline titres at month 12. A significant but comparable rise was observed at months 36 and 48
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Kinetics of vibriocidal GMTs at different time points (left) V. cholerae O1 Inaba (right) V. cholerae Ogawa for secretors and non-secretors. There was a rise in antibody titres in both serotypes at day 28 and then started to decline close to baseline titres at month 12. A significant but comparable rise was observed at months 36 and 48
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Ali M, Nelson AR, Lopez AL, Sack DA. Updated global burden of cholera in endemic countries. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2015;9:1–13. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0003832. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Finkelstein RA. In: Medical Microbiology. 4. Baron S, editor. Galveston: University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston; 1996. - PubMed
    1. Mwape K, Kwenda G, Kalonda A, Mwaba J, Lukwesa-Musyani C, Ngulube J, et al. Characterisation of Vibrio cholerae isolates from the 2009, 2010 and 2016 cholera outbreaks in Lusaka province, Zambia. Pan Afr Med J. 2020;35:1–10. doi: 10.11604/pamj.2020.35.32.18853. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Deen JL, von Seidlein L, Sur D, Agtini M, Lucas MES, Lopez L, et al. The high burden of cholera in children: comparison of incidence from endemic areas in Asia and Africa. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2008;2:e173. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0000173. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Poncin M, Zulu G, Voute C, Ferreras E, Muleya CM, Malama K, et al. Implementation research: reactive mass vaccination with single-dose oral cholera vaccine, Zambia. Bull World Health Organ. 2018;96:86–93. doi: 10.2471/BLT.16.189241. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types