Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Efficacy and safety of measles, mumps, rubella and varicella live viral vaccines in transplant recipients receiving immunosuppressive drugs

  • Review Article
  • Published:
World Journal of Pediatrics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background

This review was designed to summarize published data on the efficacy and safety of live viral vaccines for measles, mumps, rubella, or varicella in post-transplant patients currently on immunosuppression.

Data sources

Medline, EMBASE and Evidence Based Medicine Reviews were searched from 1966 to November 2007 for case reports or studies describing the efficacy and/or safety of live attenuated measles, mumps, rubella, or varicella vaccine in children on immunosuppression following solid organ, bone marrow or stem cell transplantation.

Results

The review identified 6 case series and 2 case reports describing 114 solid organ transplant recipients and one case series describing 27 bone marrow transplant recipients who had received a combined total of 206 doses of live varicella, measles, mumps, or rubella vaccine while on immunosuppression. Post-immunization titers were in the immune range in 109 of the 171 situations where they were measured following a single dose of vaccine (64%) and in 15 of 22 situations following 2 doses (68%). There were no major safety concerns in this small sample.

Conclusion

There are insufficient published data to derive evidence-based guidelines for use of live viral vaccines in transplant recipients on immunosuppression but preliminary data on efficacy and safety suggest that the use of these live viral vaccines in transplant recipients still on immunosuppression could be a reasonable strategy.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Rand EB, McCarthy CA, Whitington PF. Measles vaccination after orthotopic liver transplantation. J Pediatr 1993;123:87–89.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Zamora I, Simon JM, Da Silva ME, Piqueras AI. Attenuated varicella virus vaccine in children with renal transplants. Pediatr Nephrol 1994;8:190–192.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Kano H, Mizuta K, Sakakihara Y, Kato H, Miki Y, Shibuya N, et al. Efficacy and safety of immunization for pre- and post-liver transplant children. Transplantation 2002;74:543–550.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Chaves Tdo S, Lopes MH, de Souza VA, Dos Santos Sde S, Pereira LM, Reis AD, et al. Seroprevalence of antibodies against varicella-zoster virus and response to the varicella vaccine in pediatric renal transplant patients. Pediatr Transplantation 2005;9:192–196.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Weinberg A, Horslen SP, Kaufman SS, Jesser R, Devoll-Zabrocki A, Fleckten BL, et al. Safety and immunogenicity of varicella-zoster virus vaccine in pediatric liver and intestine transplant recipients. Am J Transplant 2006;6:565–568.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Khan S, Erlichman J, Rand EB. Live virus immunization after orthoptic liver transplantation. Pediatr Transplantation 2006;10:78–82.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Levitsky J, Te HS, Faust TW, Cohen SM. Varicella infection following varicella vaccination in a liver transplant recipient. Am J Transplant 2002;2:880–882.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Kraft JN, Shaw JC. Varicella infection caused by Oka strain vaccine in a heart transplant recipient. Arch Dermatol 2006;142:943–945.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Machado CM, de Souza V, Sumita LM, da Rocha IF. Dulley FL, Pannuti CS. Early measles vaccination in bone marrow transplant recipients. Bone Marrow Transplantation 2005;35:787–791.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Lopez AS, Guris D, Zimmerman L, Gladden L, Moore T, Haselow DT, et al. One dose of varicella vaccine does not prevent school outbreaks: is it time for a second dose? Pediatrics 2006;117:e1070–1077.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. American Academy of Pediatrics. In: Pickering LK, Baken CJ, Long SS, McMillan JA, eds. Red Book: 2006 Report of the Committee of Infectious Diseases, 27th ed. Elk Grove Village, Illinois: American Academy of Pediatrics, 2006: 720.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Chavers BM, Gillingham KJ. Matas AJ. Complications by age in primary pediatric renal transplant recipients. Pediatr Nephrol 1997;11:399–403.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Furth SL, Fivush BA. Varicella vaccination in pediatric kidney transplant candidates. Pediatr Transplant 2002;6:97–100.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Warmington L, Lee BE, Robinson JL. Loss of antibodies to measles and varicella following solid organ transplantation in children. Pediatr Transplant 2005;9:311–314.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Benden C, Danziger-Isakov LA, Astor T, Aurora P, Bluemchen K, Boyer D, et al. Variability in immunization guidelines in children before and after lung transplantation. Pediatr Transplant 2007;11:882–887.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

    Angela Marie Danerseau & Joan Louise Robinson

  2. Department of Pediatrics and Stollery Children’s Hospital, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

    Angela Marie Danerseau & Joan Louise Robinson

  3. Room 8213, Aberhart Centre One, 11402 University Avenue, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2J3, Canada

    Joan Louise Robinson

Authors
  1. Angela Marie Danerseau
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Joan Louise Robinson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Joan Louise Robinson.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Danerseau, A.M., Robinson, J.L. Efficacy and safety of measles, mumps, rubella and varicella live viral vaccines in transplant recipients receiving immunosuppressive drugs. World J Pediatr 4, 254–258 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12519-008-0047-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12519-008-0047-1

Key words

Search

Navigation