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•58,637 doses of 4CMenB vaccine were administered to 30,522 students.•193 AEFI including nine serious adverse events in 187 students were reported.•The AEFI reporting rate was low and consistent with other adolescent vaccines. Four-component meningococcal B (4CMenB) vaccine is licensed in many countries but has had limited use in adolescents despite this age group being at increased risk of meningococcal disease. To assess the safety profile of two doses of 4CMenB in adolescents. Cluster randomised controlled trial of senior school students in South Australia (SA) with participating schools randomised to intervention (4CMenB) or control. Vaccine safety was monitored using the South Australian Vaccine Safety Surveillance System (SAVSS), a spontaneous reporting system for adverse events following immunisation (AEFI) with enhanced follow-up of AEFI. 58,637 doses of 4CMenB vaccine were administered to 30,522 students (median age 16 years) during 2017–2018. Of 18,348 and 12,174 students vaccinated in 2017 and 2018, 97.3% and 84.3%, respectively, received both scheduled doses (N = 28,115). 193 AEFI in 187 students were reported with a reporting rate of 0.32% (95%CI: 0.28–0.39%). Seventy individuals sought medical review, including nine serious adverse events. 98% (166/169) of those who were contactable for AEFI follow-up (87.6% 169/193) reported resolution of the event. Most common AEFI were injection site reaction (126/193), headache (99/193) and nausea (61/193). AEFI were more frequently reported in females (aOR = 1.409 (95%CI: 1.002, 1.980)), schools with high level of educational advantage (adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR) = 1.515 (95%CI: 1.005, 2.284)), following first dose (aOR = 1.619 (95%CI: 1.168, 2.244)), and in 2017 (aOR = 1.437 (95%CI: 1.001, 2.064)). Reported AEFI declined with increasing age (aOR = 0.771 (95%CI: 0.673, 0.883)). In this largest post-licensure use of 4CMenB in adolescents, the low AEFI reporting rate provides real-world evidence of 4CMenB safety in this age group. (ClinicalTrials.gov number: NCT03089086).

•MD epidemiology and vaccination strategies in Latin America were reviewed.•Routine infant MCC vaccination program was implemented in Brazil in 2010.•Brazil: a dramatic reduction in MD incidence rates was observed in those <2 years.•Emergence of serogroup W disease was identified in Chile and Argentina.•Chile: reactive MenACWY vaccination implemented in children aged 9 months to 5 years has impacted only in this age group. The Global Meningococcal Initiative (GMI) was established in 2009 and comprises an international team of scientists, clinicians, and public health officials with expertise in meningococcal disease (MD). Its primary goal is to promote global prevention of MD through education, research, international cooperation, and developing recommendations that include decreasing the burden of severe disease. The group held its first roundtable meeting with experts from Latin American countries in 2011, and subsequently proposed several recommendations to reduce the regional burden of MD. A second roundtable meeting was convened with Latin American representatives in June 2013 to reassess MD epidemiology, vaccination strategies, and unmet needs in the region, as well as to update the earlier recommendations. Special emphasis was placed on the emergence and spread of serogroup W disease in Argentina and Chile, and the control measures put in place in Chile were a particular focus of discussions. The impact of routine meningococcal vaccination programs, notably in Brazil, was also evaluated. There have been considerable improvements in MD surveillance systems and diagnostic techniques in some countries (e.g., Brazil and Chile), but the lack of adequate infrastructure, trained personnel, and equipment/reagents remains a major barrier to progress in resource-poor countries. The Pan American Health Organization's Revolving Fund is likely to play an important role in improving access to meningococcal vaccines in Latin America. Additional innovative approaches are needed to redress the imbalance in expertise and resources between countries, and thereby improve the control of MD. In Latin America, the GMI recommends establishment of a detailed and comprehensive national/regional surveillance system, standardization of laboratory procedures, adoption of a uniform MD case definition, maintaining laboratory-based surveillance, replacement of polysaccharide vaccines with conjugate formulations (wherever possible), monitoring and evaluating implemented vaccination strategies, conducting cost-effectiveness studies, and developing specific recommendations for vaccination of high-risk groups.

IntroductionGonorrhoea, the sexually transmissible infection caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae, has a substantial impact on sexual and reproductive health globally with an estimated 82 million new infections each year worldwide. N. gonorrhoeae antimicrobial resistance continues to escalate, and disease control is largely reliant on effective therapy as there is no proven effective gonococcal vaccine available. However, there is increasing evidence from observational cohort studies that the serogroup B meningococcal vaccine four-component meningitis B vaccine (4CMenB) (Bexsero), licensed to prevent invasive disease caused by Neisseria meningitidis, may provide cross-protection against the closely related bacterium N. gonorrhoeae. This study will evaluate the efficacy of 4CMenB against N. gonorrhoeae infection in men (cis and trans), transwomen and non-binary people who have sex with men (hereafter referred to as GBM+).Methods and analysisThis is a double-blind, randomised placebo-controlled trial in GBM+, either HIV-negative on pre-exposure prophylaxis against HIV or living with HIV (CD4 count >350 cells/mm3), who have had a diagnosis of gonorrhoea or infectious syphilis in the last 18 months (a key characteristic associated with a high risk of N. gonorrhoeae infection). Participants are randomised 1:1 to receive two doses of 4CMenB or placebo 3 months apart. Participants have 3-monthly visits over 24 months, which include testing for N. gonorrhoeae and other sexually transmissible infections, collection of demographics, sexual behaviour risks and antibiotic use, and collection of research samples for analysis of N. gonorrhoeae-specific systemic and mucosal immune responses. The primary outcome is the incidence of the first episode of N. gonorrhoeae infection, as determined by nucleic acid amplification tests, post month 4. Additional outcomes consider the incidence of symptomatic or asymptomatic N. gonorrhoeae infection at different anatomical sites (ie, urogenital, anorectum or oropharynx), incidence by N. gonorrhoeae genotype and antimicrobial resistance phenotype, and level and functional activity of N. gonorrhoeae-specific antibodies.Ethics and disseminationEthical approval was obtained from the St Vincent’s Hospital Human Research Ethics Committee, St Vincent’s Hospital Sydney, NSW, Australia (ref: 2020/ETH01084). Results will be disseminated in peer-reviewed journals and via presentation at national and international conferences.Trial registration number NCT04415424.

IntroductionCapsular group B Neisseria meningitidis (MenB) is the most common cause of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) in many parts of the world. A MenB vaccine directed against the polysaccharide capsule remains elusive due to poor immunogenicity and safety concerns. The vaccines licensed for the prevention of MenB disease, 4CMenB (Bexsero) and MenB-fHbp (Trumenba), are serogroup B ‘substitute’ vaccines, comprised of subcapsular proteins and are designed to provide protection against most MenB disease-causing strains. In many high-income countries, such as the UK, adolescents are at increased risk of IMD and have the highest rates of meningococcal carriage. Beginning in the late 1990s, immunisation of this age group with the meningococcal group C conjugate vaccine reduced asymptomatic carriage and disrupted transmission of this organism, resulting in lower group C IMD incidence across all age groups. Whether vaccinating teenagers with the novel ‘MenB’ protein-based vaccines will prevent acquisition or reduce duration of carriage and generate herd protection was unknown at the time of vaccine introduction and could not be inferred from the effects of the conjugate vaccines. 4CMenB and MenB-fHbp may also impact on non-MenB disease-causing capsular groups as well as commensal Neisseria spp. This study will evaluate the impact of vaccination with 4CMenB or MenB-fHbp on oropharyngeal carriage of pathogenic meningococci in teenagers, and consequently the potential for these vaccines to provide broad community protection against MenB disease.Methods and analysisThe ‘Be on the TEAM’ (Teenagers Against Meningitis) Study is a pragmatic, partially randomised controlled trial of 24 000 students aged 16–19 years in their penultimate year of secondary school across the UK with regional allocation to a 0+6 month schedule of 4CMenB or MenB-fHbp or to a control group. Culture-confirmed oropharyngeal carriage will be assessed at baseline and at 12 months, following which the control group will be eligible for 4CMenB vaccination. The primary outcome is the carriage prevalence of potentially pathogenic meningococci (defined as those with genogroups B, C, W, Y or X), in each vaccine group compared separately to the control group at 12 months post-enrolment, that is, 12 months after the first vaccine dose and 6 months after the second vaccine dose. Secondary outcomes include impact on carriage of: genogroup B meningococci; hyperinvasive meningococci; all meningococci; those meningococci expressing vaccine antigens and; other Neisseria spp. A sample size of 8000 in each arm will provide 80% power to detect a 30% reduction in meningococcal carriage, assuming genogroup B, C, W, Y or X meningococci carriage of 3.43%, a design effect of 1.5, a retention rate of 80% and a significance level of 0.05. Study results will be available in 2021 and will inform the UK and international immunisation policy and future vaccine development.Ethics and disseminationThis study is approved by the National Health Service South Central Research Ethics Committee (18/SC/0055); the UK Health Research Authority (IRAS ID 239091) and the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. Publications arising from this study will be submitted to peer-reviewed journals. Study results will be disseminated in public forums, online, presented at local and international conferences and made available to the participating schools.Trial registration numbersISRCTN75858406; Pre-results, EudraCT 2017-004609-42.

We recently described the effect of a single-dose antihelminthic treatment on vaccine immunogenicity to a seasonal influenza vaccine. Here we report the effect of antihelminthics on the immunogenicity of a meningococcal vaccine and a cholera vaccine in primary school children living in Lambaréné, Gabon. Since infection with helminths remains a major public health problem and the influence on cognitive and physical development as well as the immunomodulatory effects are well established, we investigated if a single-dose antihelminthic treatment prior to immunization positively influences antibody titers and vaccine-specific memory B-cells. In this placebo-controlled, double-blind trial the effect of a single-dose antihelminthic treatment prior to immunization with a meningococcal as well as with a cholera vaccine was investigated. Anti-meningococcal antibodies were assessed by serum bactericidal assay, cholera vaccine-specific antibody titers by Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) at baseline (Day 0; vaccination), four weeks (Day 28) and 12weeks (Day 84) following vaccination. Meningococcal and cholera vaccine-specific memory B-cells were measured at Day 0 and 84 by vaccine-specific Enzyme-linked Immunospot (ELISpot) assay. The helminth burden of the participants was assessed four weeks before vaccination (Day −28) and at Day 84 by the Merthiolate-Iodine-Formaldehyde technique. Out of 280 screened school children, 96 received a meningococcal vaccine and 89 a cholera vaccine following allocation to either the single-dose antihelminthic treatment group or the placebo group. Bactericidal antibody titers increased following immunization with the meningococcal vaccine at Day 28 and Day 84 in 68 participants for serogroup A, and in 80 participants for serogroup C. The cholera vaccine titers increased in all participants with a peak at Day 28. The number of memory B-cells increased following vaccination compared to baseline. There was no statistically significant difference in antibody and B-cell response between children receiving albendazole compared to those receiving placebo. A single-dose treatment with albendazole prior to immunization had no effect on meningococcal or cholera vaccine immunogenicity in our study population.

IntroductionInvasive meningococcal disease is uncommon but associated with a high-case fatality rate. Carriage prevalence of the causative bacteria, Neisseria meningitidis, is high in adolescents. A large (n=34 500) cluster randomised controlled trial (RCT) to assess the impact of a meningococcal B (MenB) vaccine on meningococcal carriage was implemented in the state of South Australia (SA) for year 10, 11 and 12 senior school students in 2017–2018. This study will assess the impact of MenB vaccine (4CMenB) on carriage prevalence in school leavers in SA, 1 and 2 years after implementation of the cluster RCT in adolescents. Measuring the impact of population programmes on carriage can assist in informing future meningococcal immunisation programmes such as targeted age groups and use of catch-up campaigns.Methods and analysisThis repeat cross-sectional study will assess carriage prevalence in 2018 and 2019. All school leavers who attended year 12 in any school in SA in 2018 or 2019 will be invited to participate in this study. An oropharyngeal swab will be taken from each participating student and a risk factor questionnaire completed by the student following informed consent. Students will attend clinics at SA universities, technical colleges, and metropolitan, rural and remote government council clinics. Confirmed vaccination history will allow a comparison in carriage prevalence between vaccinated and unvaccinated school leavers. A sample size of 4096 students per year will provide 80% power to detect a 20% difference in carriage prevalence of disease-causing meningococci (defined as genogroup A, B, C, W, X or Y) between years.Ethics and disseminationThe study was approved by the Women’s and Children’s Health Network Human Research Ethics Committee. Results will be published in international peer review journals and presented at national and international conferences.Trial registration number NCT03419533; Pre-results

A meningococcal group B vaccine was introduced in the United Kingdom as part of the infant vaccination program. Investigators from Public Health England assessed the effect of this vaccination on the incidence of meningococcal group B disease.

The epidemiology of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) is unpredictable, varies by region and age group and continuously evolves. This review aimed to describe trends in the incidence of IMD and serogroup distribution by age group and global region over time. Data were extracted from 90 subnational, national and multinational grey literature surveillance reports and 22 published articles related to the burden of IMD from 2010 to 2019 in 77 countries. The global incidence of IMD was generally low, with substantial variability between regions in circulating disease-causing serogroups. The highest incidence was usually observed in infants, generally followed by young children and adolescents/young adults, as well as older adults in some countries. Globally, serogroup B was a predominant cause of IMD in most countries. Additionally, there was a notable increase in the number of IMD cases caused by serogroups W and Y from 2010 to 2019 in several regions, highlighting the unpredictable and dynamic nature of the disease. Overall, serogroups A, B, C, W and Y were responsible for the vast majority of IMD cases, despite the availability of vaccines to prevent disease due to these serogroups.

Background. In England and Wales, the incidence of invasive meningococcal disease has been declining for more than a decade, but meningococcal group W (MenW) cases have been increasing since 2009. Methods. Public Health England conducts enhanced national surveillance of invasive meningococcal disease in England and Wales. Detailed clinical information was obtained for all laboratory-confirmed Men W cases diagnosed during 3 epidemiologic years (2010–2011 to 2012–2013), alongside whole-genome sequencing analysis of the clinical isolates. Results. The year-on-year increase in invasive MenW disease across all age groups since 2009–2010 was due to rapid endemic expansion of a single clone belonging to the sequence type 11 complex (cc11). In 2013–2014, MenW was responsible for 15% of all invasive meningococcal disease. All but 1 of the recent MenW:cc11 isolates were very closely related, consistent with recent clonal expansion. Clinical follow-up of all 129 MenW cases diagnosed during 2010–2011 to 2012–2013 revealed that most patients were previously healthy (n= 105 [81%]), had not travelled abroad prior to illness and the majority presented with septicemia (n = 63 [49%]), meningitis (n = 16 [12%]) or both (n = 21 [16%]); however, one-quarter had atypical presentations including pneumonia (n= 15 [12%]), septic arthritis (n = 9 [7%]), and epiglottitis/supraglottitis (n = 5 [4%]). Forty-eight (37%) required intensive care and 15 (12%) died. There was no association between infecting strain, clinical disease, or outcome. Conclusions. The recent increase in invasive MenW disease in England and Wales is due to rapid endemic expansion of a single clone belonging to cc11 and is associated with severe disease with unusual clinical presentations. This increase will require careful monitoring in the coming years.

In September, 2015, the UK became the first country to introduce the multicomponent group B meningococcal (MenB) vaccine (4CMenB, Bexsero) into a publicly funded national immunisation programme. A reduced two-dose priming schedule was offered to infants at 2 months and 4 months, alongside an opportunistic catch-up for 3 month and 4 month olds. 4CMenB was predicted to protect against 73–88% of MenB strains. We aimed to assess the effectiveness and impact of 4CMenB in vaccine-eligible infants in England. Public Health England (PHE) undertakes enhanced surveillance of meningococcal disease through a combination of clinical, public health, and laboratory reporting. Laboratory-confirmed cases of meningococcal disease are followed up with PHE local health protection teams, general practitioners, and hospital clinicians to collect demographic data, vaccination history, clinical presentation, and outcome. For cases diagnosed between Sept 1, 2015, and June 30, 2016, vaccine effectiveness was assessed using the screening method. Impact was assessed by comparing numbers of cases of MenB in vaccine-eligible children to equivalent cohorts in the previous 4 years and to cases in vaccine-ineligible children. Coverage of 4CMenB in infants eligible for routine vaccination was high, achieving 95·5% for one dose and 88·6% for two doses by 6 months of age. Two-dose vaccine effectiveness was 82·9% (95% CI 24·1–95·2) against all MenB cases, equivalent to a vaccine effectiveness of 94·2% against the highest predicted MenB strain coverage of 88%. Compared with the prevaccine period, there was a 50% incidence rate ratio (IRR) reduction in MenB cases in the vaccine-eligible cohort (37 cases vs average 74 cases; IRR 0·50 [95% CI 0·36–0·71]; p=0·0001), irrespective of the infants’ vaccination status or predicted MenB strain coverage. Similar reductions were observed even after adjustment for disease trends in vaccine-eligible and vaccine-ineligible children. The two-dose 4CMenB priming schedule was highly effective in preventing MenB disease in infants. Cases in vaccine-eligible infants halved in the first 10 months of the programme. While ongoing national surveillance will continue to monitor the longer-term impact of the programme, these findings represent a step forward in the battle against meningococcal disease and will help reassure that the vaccine protects against this deadly infection. Public Health England.