Why the study?
The informativeness of routine oral poliovirus vaccine VP1 sequencing for the early identification of viruses carrying virulence-associated reversion mutations had not been directly evaluated in a controlled setting.
Does oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV) use lead to the rapid emergence and transmission of virulence-associated mutations in vaccinated children and their contacts?
Does oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV) use lead to the rapid emergence and transmission of virulence-associated mutations in vaccinated children and their contacts?
Routine OPV use leads to rapid emergence of virulence-associated reversion mutations, suggesting current definitions of circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses may underestimate public health risks.
There is an increasing burden of circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses (cVDPVs) due to the continued use of oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV). However, the informativeness of routine OPV VP1 sequencing for the early identification of viruses carrying virulence-associated reversion mutations has not been directly evaluated in a controlled setting. We prospectively collected 15,331 stool samples to track OPV shedding from vaccinated children and their contacts for ten weeks following an immunization campaign in Veracruz State, Mexico and sequenced VP1 genes from 358 samples. We found that OPV was genetically unstable and evolves at an approximately clocklike rate that varies across serotypes and by vaccination status. Alarmingly, 28% (13/47) of OPV-1, 12% (14/117) OPV-2, and 91% (157/173) OPV-3 of Sabin-like viruses had ≥1 known reversion mutation. Our results suggest that current definitions of cVDPVs may exclude circulating virulent viruses that pose a public health risk and underscore the need for intensive surveillance following OPV use.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Walter et al. (2023) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: