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Biomedical subjects

Koen Van Herck

Publications and source records attributed to Koen Van Herck.

13 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Safety and immunogenicity of glycoprotein D-adjuvant genital herpes vaccine.

BACKGROUND: Two previous trials have suggested that a herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 2 glycoprotein D (gD) vaccine combined with the adjuvants alum and 3'-O-deacylated-monophosphoryl lipid A (MPL) is well tolerated and provides protection against genital herpes disease in women with no preexisting HSV antibody. METHODS: The safety and immunogenicity of this vaccine were evaluated in a large, multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. The effects of sex and preexisting HSV immunity were sought. RESULTS: When solicited symptoms that continued after the initial 4 days of observation were excluded, the incidence of unsolicited symptoms occurring during the 7 months after vaccination (the primary analysis period) was 22.1% in vaccine recipients and 21.9% in placebo recipients. Significant increases in the number of local and systemic symptoms were found in vaccine recipients within 4 days after vaccination. However, most symptoms were mild to moderate in severity and were short lived. Women reported symptoms more frequently than did men, but preexisting immunity had little effect. The vaccine induced higher titers of HSV gD antibody on enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays than did natural infection with HSV. CONCLUSION: The vaccine was generally safe, well tolerated, and immunogenic.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗
PubMed2005

Prevention of hepatitis A by Havrix: a review.

Hepatitis A is one of the most common vaccine-preventable infectious diseases in the world. With at least 1.5 million cases of hepatitis A worldwide each year, disease management constitutes a substantial economic burden. The first effective vaccine against hepatitis A, Havrix was introduced in 1992. This review summarizes data accumulated following more than a decade of clinical experience with this vaccine and compares clinical data with other currently available hepatitis A vaccines. Based on this data and on the current immunological knowledge, a recent consensus concluded that hepatitis A vaccines induce lifelong protection, and thus booster vaccinations against hepatitis A are unnecessary in fully immunized, healthy people. In view of this, current regulatory recommendations for the use of hepatitis A vaccines are reviewed and possible future strategies identified.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Macrolide- and telithromycin-resistant Streptococcus pyogenes, Belgium, 1999-2003.

We found a 13% macrolide resistance in 3,866 Streptococcus pyogenes isolated from tonsillopharyngitis patients; 59% macrolide-resistant isolates were distributed in 5 clones, suggesting the importance of both resistance gene transfer and clonal dissemination in the spread of these organisms. We also report one of the largest collections of telithromycin-resistant isolates.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Hepatitis A vaccine: indirect evidence of immune memory 12 years after the primary course.

Vaccine-induced hepatitis A antibodies persist up to 10 years in adults, with mathematical models estimating further persistence up to 20-25 years. Thirty-one adults received booster inoculations 12 years after their initial vaccination (Havrix 720 El.U at months 0, 1, 6). At the time of booster inoculation, all still had detectable antibodies. All but one subject met pre-defined criteria for anamnestic response 14 days after the booster, and all subjects did so after 30 days. The subjects' geometric mean titre (GMT) increased rapidly from 242 IU/L at baseline to 3,832 IU/L at day 14 and 5,282 IU/L at day 30. This study shows a substantial immune response to re-exposure to hepatitis A antigen after 12 years, which occurs rapidly to ensure protection within the average incubation period of hepatitis A virus.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

A review of the efficacy, immunogenicity and tolerability of a combined hepatitis A and B vaccine.

Hepatitis A and B are two of the most common vaccine-preventable liver diseases and continue to be a significant cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, with their severity related to the individual's age upon initial infection. Twinrix (GlaxoSmithKline), a combined vaccine providing protection against both hepatitis A and B, has been available in more than 72 countries worldwide since 1997. This paper provides a critical review of clinical data on the efficacy, immunogenicity and tolerability of the combined vaccine, with particular focus on the clinical benefits of dual vaccination.

Clinical Trials as Topic↗
PubMed2003

Seroprevalence of Bordetella pertussis antibodies in Flanders (Belgium).

To determine age-dependent pertussis immune response in the Flemish population, antibody levels to pertactin (PRN), pertussis toxin (PT) and filamentous hemagglutinin (FHA) were measured in serum samples from 1622 healthy 1-100-year-old subjects. For anti-PRN and anti-PT antibodies, peaks in GMTs were seen in infancy and again in the 10-15-year age group. After age of 20 years, anti-PRN GMT declined rapidly over a decade, followed by a slower decline. Anti-FHA GMT tended to rather increase progressively with age. These data confirm waning of vaccine-induced antibody levels and suggest pertussis resurgence during adolescence and young adulthood. These results support a pertussis booster vaccination policy for adolescents and adults.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Travelers' knowledge, attitudes, and practices on prevention of infectious diseases: results from a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: The European Travel Health Advisory Board conducted a cross-sectional pilot survey to evaluate current travel health knowledge, attitudes, and practice (KAP) and to determine where travelers going to developing countries obtain travel health information, what information they receive, and what preventive travel health measures they employ. METHOD: Trained interviewers invited passengers at the departure gates of three international airports: London Heathrow, Paris Charles de Gaulle, and Munich to respond to a self-completion questionnaire. A total of 609 responses were collected. RESULTS: The study showed that more than one-third of travelers questioned had not sought pretravel health advice and of those who did, over 20% sought advice 14 days or less prior to travel. One-third of the respondents were aged 50 or more, and 20% had planned their trip less than 2 weeks before leaving. Only a minority were able to demonstrate that they had been immunised as per the World Health Organization or national recommendations. Respondents often misperceived both the risk of malaria at the destination and recommended preventive measures. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this pilot survey provided a valuable insight into the KAP of travelers and highlighted an important educational need among those traveling to risk destinations. Strategies are needed for raising awareness of preventable travel health issues and for raising compliance with existing recommendations.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Knowledge, attitudes and practices in travel-related infectious diseases: the European airport survey.

BACKGROUND: The European Travel Health Advisory Board conducted a cross-sectional pilot survey to evaluate current travel health knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) and to determine where travelers going to developing countries obtain travel health information, what information they receive, and what preventive travel health measures they employ. Subsequently, the questionnaire used was improved and a cross-sectional, multicenter study was undertaken in airports in Europe, Asia, South Africa and the United States. This paper describes the methods used everywhere, and results from the European airports. METHOD: Between September 2002 and September 2003, 5,465 passengers residing in Europe and boarding an intercontinental flight to a developing country were surveyed at the departure gates of nine major airports in Europe. Questionnaires were self-administered, and checked for completeness and validated by trained interviewers. RESULTS: Although the majority of travelers (73.3%) had sought general information about their destination prior to departure, only just over half of the responders (52.1%) had sought travel health advice. Tourists and people traveling for religious reasons had sought travel health advice more often, whereas travelers visiting friends and relatives were less likely to do so. Hepatitis A was perceived as the most probable among the infectious diseases investigated, followed by HIV and hepatitis B. In spite of a generally positive attitude towards vaccines, 58.4% and 68.7% of travelers could not report any protection against hepatitis A or hepatitis B, respectively. Only one in three travelers to a destination country with at least some malaria endemicity were carrying antimalarial drugs. Almost one in four travelers visiting a high-risk area had an inaccurate risk perception and even one in two going to a no-risk destination were unnecessarily concerned about malaria. CONCLUSIONS: The large variation in destinations, age of the travelers and reasons for traveling illustrates that traveling to a developing country has become common practice. The results of this large-scale airport survey clearly demonstrate an important educational need among those traveling to risk destinations. Initiatives to improve such education should target all groups of travelers, including business travelers, those visiting friends and relatives, and the elderly. Additionally, travel health advice providers should continue their efforts to make travelers comply with the recommended travel health advice. Our common objective is to help travelers stay healthy while abroad, and consequently to also reduce the potential importation of infectious diseases and the consequent public health and other implications.

Adolescent↗