Immunity Against Varicella in Pediatric Orthotopic Liver Transplantation Recipients

Summary

Varicella is a vaccine-preventable disease, which can be severe in immunosuppressed children. Currently, the (live) vaccine is not recommended in pediatric orthotopic liver transplant recipients. Furthermore, protection due to naturally acquired immunity to VZV or post-immunization isn't well described in this population.The questions asked are: * What is the influence of the immunosuppression required after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) on the maintenance of VZV-specific immunity elicited by wild-type varicella infection before OLT transplantation? * What is the influence of the immunosuppression required after OLT on VZV-specific immunity elicited by varicella immunization before OLT transplantation? * What is the influence of the residual immunosuppression at ≥ 12 months after OLT transplantation on the induction of VZV-specific B and T cell responses elicited by VZV vaccination after OLT transplantation? * What is the influence of the residual immunosuppression at ≥ 12 months after OLT transplantation on the persistence / waning of B and T cell responses elicited by VZV vaccination?

Timeline

Start

2007-06

Primary completion

2022-04

Completion

2025-12

Publications

• Background Suresh S, Upton J, Green M, Pham-Huy A, Posfay-Barbe KM, Michaels MG, Top KA, Avitzur Y, Burton C, Chong PP, Danziger-Isakov L, Dipchand AI, Hebert D, Kumar D, Morris SK, Nalli N, Ng VL, Nicholas SK, Robinson JL, Solomon M, Tapiero B, Verma A, Walter JE, Allen UD. Live vaccines after pediatric solid organ transplant: Proceedings of a consensus meeting, 2018. Pediatr Transplant. 2019 Nov;23(7):e13571. doi: 10.1111/petr.13571. Epub 2019 Sep 9.
• Background Verolet CM, Pittet LF, Wildhaber BE, McLin VA, Rodriguez M, Grillet S, Siegrist CA, Posfay-Barbe KM. Long-term Seroprotection of Varicella-zoster Immunization in Pediatric Liver Transplant Recipients. Transplantation. 2019 Nov;103(11):e355-e364. doi: 10.1097/TP.0000000000002866.
• Background Posfay-Barbe KM, Pittet LF, Sottas C, Grillet S, Wildhaber BE, Rodriguez M, Kaiser L, Belli DC, McLin VA, Siegrist CA. Varicella-zoster immunization in pediatric liver transplant recipients: safe and immunogenic. Am J Transplant. 2012 Nov;12(11):2974-85. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-6143.2012.04273.x. Epub 2012 Sep 20.

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