Genome-wide association study of conjugated pneumococcal vaccine antibody responses in South African infants

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines have substantially reduced global mortality, yet the genetic basis of vaccine-induced immunity is unclear. We analysed host genetic determinants of PCV7-induced IgG responses in 1017 South African infants. No genome-wide significant associations were identified, including at the HLA locus. In contrast to protein vaccines, where HLA strongly shapes responses, PCV7 responses appear less constrained by HLA-mediated antigen presentation. This reduced constraint could partially explain their consistent effectiveness across diverse populations.