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Journal of Clinical Microbiology, May 2006, p. 1645-1649, Vol. 44, No. 5
0095-1137/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JCM.44.5.1645-1649.2006
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Molecular Epidemiology of Haemophilus influenzae Type b Causing Vaccine Failures in the United Kingdom

Belén Aracil,1 Mary Slack,2 María Pérez-Vázquez,1 Federico Román,1 Mary Ramsay,3 and José Campos1,4*

Antibiotic Laboratory, Bacteriology Service, Centro Nacional de Microbiología, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda, Madrid, Spain,1 Haemophilus Reference Unit, Respiratory & Systemic Infection Laboratory, Health Protection Agency Centre for Infections, Colindale, London, United Kingdom,2 Immunisation Department, Health Protection Agency Centre for Infections, Colindale, London, United Kingdom,3 Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid, Spain4

Received 20 January 2006/ Returned for modification 13 February 2006/ Accepted 15 March 2006

Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) was a major cause of pediatric disease in the United Kingdom prior to the introduction of routine Hib immunization in 1992. An unexpected resurgence of cases of vaccine failure was observed with fully vaccinated children from 1999 onward. We investigated whether Hib isolates causing vaccine failures in the United Kingdom could have undergone a change in their population structure to elude the protective effect of Hib vaccine. Molecular epidemiology studies were carried out with 376 isolates from invasive infections (164 vaccine failures and 212 controls). Genetic variability was higher in controls than in vaccine failures. Of the four major clusters obtained, cluster I comprised 92.2% of the total isolates: 156 vaccine failures (95%) and 193 (91%) controls. Cluster IV was specific for vaccine failures but included only four isolates. The increased number of cases of invasive Hib in fully vaccinated children in the United Kingdom was caused by isolates belonging not to a particular or new genotype but to genotypes already circulating in the prevaccination era, before conjugate Hib vaccines were available.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Antibiotic Laboratory, Bacteriology Service, Centro Nacional de Microbiología, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28220 Majadahonda, Madrid, Spain. Phone: 34 91 822 36 50. Fax: 34 91 509 79 66. E-mail: jcampos{at}isciii.es.

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, May 2006, p. 1645-1649, Vol. 44, No. 5
0095-1137/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JCM.44.5.1645-1649.2006
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Garcia-Cobos, S., Campos, J., Lazaro, E., Roman, F., Cercenado, E., Garcia-Rey, C., Perez-Vazquez, M., Oteo, J., de Abajo, F. (2007). Ampicillin-Resistant Non-{beta}-Lactamase-Producing Haemophilus influenzae in Spain: Recent Emergence of Clonal Isolates with Increased Resistance to Cefotaxime and Cefixime. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 51: 2564-2573 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


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