Comparison of antibody response between boys and girls after infant and childhood vaccinations in the Netherlands

J Hoes; M J Knol; L Mollema; A Buisman; H E de Melker; F R M van der Klis

doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2019.06.055

Comparison of antibody response between boys and girls after infant and childhood vaccinations in the Netherlands

Vaccine. 2019 Jul 26;37(32):4504-4510. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2019.06.055. Epub 2019 Jul 4.

Authors

J Hoes¹, M J Knol², L Mollema¹, A Buisman³, H E de Melker¹, F R M van der Klis³

Affiliations

¹ Centre for Epidemiology and Surveillance of Infectious Diseases - Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, the Netherlands.
² Centre for Epidemiology and Surveillance of Infectious Diseases - Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, the Netherlands. Electronic address: mirjam.knol@rivm.nl.
³ Centre for Immunology of Infectious Diseases and Vaccines - Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, the Netherlands.

PMID: 31279563
DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2019.06.055

Abstract

Background: Infectious diseases can differ by sex in their incidence, prevalence, or severity of disease. These differences may be induced by sex-dependent immune responses and resulting protection, for example after vaccination. Therefore, this study aims to assess possible sex-differences in immunoglobulin levels (IgG) after infant and childhood vaccination.

Methods: Data from a national cross-sectional serosurvey conducted in 2006/2007 were used (Pienter 2). We compared IgG levels against measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, poliomyelitis, pertussis, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), and Neisseria meningitidis serogroup C (MenC) between girls and boys both short term (1 month to 1 year) and long term (1-3 year) after infant and childhood vaccinations, using linear regression analysis. Proportions of boys and girls reaching a protective IgG level were compared using Fishers exact test.

Results: Differences in IgG were found at specific time points after vaccination against measles, mumps, rubella, MenC, and polio. The geometric mean concentration or titer (GMC/T) girls:boys ratios ranged between 1.10 for polio type 1 <1 year after the first childhood booster to 1.90 for MenC <1 year after infant vaccination, indicating higher antibody levels in girls. No significant differences were found between boys and girls for diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, and Hib at either time point. Proportions with protective levels differed only at 1-3 years after infant vaccination for mumps (82.5% boys vs. 91.9% girls, p = 0.046), and at the same time point for MenC (7.0% boys vs. 18.2% girls, p = 0.015), and polio type 1 (87.8% boys vs. 95.9% girls, p = 0.047).

Conclusion: Differences in IgG between boys and girls were generally small and not consistent, neither between pathogens nor within pathogens. If differences were observed, girls were favored over boys. On the whole, the results suggest that there are no major sex differences in protection from the studied pathogens in the Netherlands.

Keywords: Antibody level; Childhood booster; Gender; Immunoglobulin G; Infant vaccination; Vaccine preventable diseases.

Publication types

Comparative Study
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Antibody Formation / immunology*
Child
Child, Preschool
Communicable Diseases / immunology
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Humans
Immunoglobulin G / blood
Immunoglobulin G / immunology
Infant
Infant, Newborn
Male
Netherlands
Sex Characteristics
Vaccination / methods

Substances

Immunoglobulin G