Quantitative Analysis of the Instant and Persistent Inhibition Effects of Maternal Poliovirus Antibodies on the Immune Response in a Phase IV Trial of a Sabin Strain-Based Inactivated Poliovirus Vaccine

Background: An inactivated poliomyelitis vaccine made from Sabin strains (sIPVs) has widely been used in China since 2015. However, the quantitative data on the instant and persistent inhibition effects of maternal poliovirus antibodies on the immune response to sIPV priming and booster vaccination have not been available yet. Objective: In this study, we aim to explore and quantify the instant and persistent inhibition effect of maternal poliovirus antibodies on the immune response elicited by sIPV primary and booster vaccination. Methods: The immunogenicity data consisting of the days 0 and 30 after the prime and booster vaccination of the sIPV in a phase IV trial were pooled for a quantitative analysis of the inhibition effect of maternal poliovirus antibody. The geometric mean ratio (GMR) was calculated using linear regression models, representing that every 2-fold higher maternal poliovirus antibody titer may result in a (1-GMR) lower postimmunization antibody titer. Results: The GMRs for poliovirus types 1, 2, and 3 were 0.79 (0.77–0.82), 0.85 (0.81–0.89), and 0.87 (0.83–0.91) at 30 days after the priming series, 0.86 (0.83–0.89), 0.81 (0.76–0.85), and 0.86 (0.80–0.93) at one year after the priming series, and 0.96 (0.94–0.99), 0.89 (0.86–0.93), and 0.98 (0.93–1.03) at 30 days after the booster dose. The inhibition effect continued to exist until the booster dose 1 year later, and such a persistent inhibition effect was almost attenuated for poliovirus types 1 and 3, and partly reduced for type 2 at 30 days after the booster dose. Conclusion: A wider interval between the four sIPV doses might be a consideration for reducing the effect of maternal antibodies and subsequently eliciting and maintaining higher antibody levels to protect against poliovirus transmission and infection at the final stage of polio eradication in the global world. This study’s clinical trial registry number is NCT04224519.