Histo-blood group antigen profile of Australian Aboriginal children and seropositivity following oral rotavirus vaccination

Bianca F Middleton; Margie Danchin; Nigel A Cunliffe; Mark A Jones; Karen Boniface; Carl D Kirkwood; Sarah Gallagher; Lea-Ann Kirkham; Caitlyn Granland; Monica McNeal; Celeste Donato; Nada Bogdanovic-Sakran; Amanda Handley; Julie E Bines; Thomas L Snelling

doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2023.05.007

Histo-blood group antigen profile of Australian Aboriginal children and seropositivity following oral rotavirus vaccination

Vaccine. 2023 Jun 1;41(24):3579-3583. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2023.05.007. Epub 2023 May 11.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia. Electronic address: bianca.middleton@menzies.edu.au.
² Vaccine Uptake Group, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia; Department of General Medicine, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia.
³ Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.
⁴ Health and Clinical Analytics, School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
⁵ Infection and Immunity, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia.
⁶ Enteric and Diarrheal Diseases, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Seattle, USA.
⁷ Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia.
⁸ Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases, Telethon Kids Institute, Perth, Australia; Centre for Child Health Research, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.
⁹ Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases, Telethon Kids Institute, Perth, Australia.
¹⁰ Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, USA; Division of Infectious Disease, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Centre, Cincinnati, USA.
¹¹ Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia; Infection and Immunity, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Gastroenterology, The Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
¹² Health and Clinical Analytics, School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia; Division of Infectious Disease, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Centre, Cincinnati, USA; School of Public Health, Curtin University, Perth, Australia.

PMID: 37179162
DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2023.05.007

Abstract

Background: Histo-blood group antigens (HBGAs) may influence immune responses to rotavirus vaccination.

Methods: HBGA phenotyping was determined by detection of antigens A, B, H and Lewis a and b in saliva using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Secretor status was confirmed by lectin antigen assay if A, B and H antigens were negative or borderline (OD ± 0.1 of threshold of detection). PCR-RFLP analysis was used to identify the FUT2 'G428A' mutation in a subset. Rotavirus seropositivity was defined as serum anti-rotavirus IgA ≥ 20 AU/mL.

Results: Of 156 children, 119 (76 %) were secretors, 129 (83 %) were Lewis antigen positive, and 105 (67 %) were rotavirus IgA seropositive. Eighty-seven of 119 (73 %) secretors were rotavirus seropositive, versus 4/9 (44 %) weak secretors and 13/27 (48 %) non-secretors.

Conclusions: Most Australian Aboriginal children were secretor and Lewis antigen positive. Non-secretor children were less likely to be seropositive to rotavirus antibodies following vaccination, but this phenotype was less common. HBGA status is unlikely to fully explain underperformance of rotavirus vaccines among Australian Aboriginal children.

Keywords: Aboriginal; Australia; Histo-blood group antigen; Rotavirus; Rotavirus vaccine.

Publication types

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

MeSH terms

Antibodies, Viral
Australia / epidemiology
Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples
Blood Group Antigens* / genetics
Genotype
Humans
Immunoglobulin A
Lewis Blood Group Antigens / genetics
Rotavirus Infections* / prevention & control
Rotavirus Vaccines* / immunology
Vaccination

Substances

Antibodies, Viral
Blood Group Antigens
Immunoglobulin A
Lewis Blood Group Antigens
Rotavirus Vaccines

Grants and funding

NIHR203756/DH_/Department of Health/United Kingdom