Induction and Maintenance of Immunity Against Measles in Pediatric Orthotopic Liver Transplantation Recipients: a Prospective Nationwide Study in Switzerland
Measles is a vaccine-preventable disease, which can be life-threatening in immunosuppressed children. Currently, measles vaccine is not recommended in pediatric orthotopic liver transplant recipients, because it is a live-attenuated vaccine. We want to assess the influence of immunosuppression on immunity against measles in previously vaccinated children and to evaluate the induction of B cell and T cell response against measles elicited by vaccination in children at least 12 months after transplantation.
• Age ≥ 12 months
• Measles-specific IgG antibodies negative (\<0.2 IU/L), as detected by the routine ELISA assay
• ≥ 12 months from the time of transplantation and ≥ 2 months from the time of an acute rejection episode
• Steroids \< 2 mg/kg/day, tacrolimus \< 0.3mg/kg/day and tacrolimus level \< 8 ng/ml for \> 1 month.
• Total lymphocyte count ≥ 750 cells/ul at time of immunization