LIVE POLIO IRUS VACCINES

NOTE: The Spanish translation of this paper was
published in the Boletín OSP 50 (6): 525-
549, Junio de 1961.
POLIOMYELITIS VACCINE
IG INFANTS
'E
KONALD A. PREM, JAMES W. FERGUS, JOHN E. MATHERS, AND JOHN L. MCKELVEY
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Minnesota School of
Medicine, Minneapolis, Minnesota
DR. PREM (presenting the paper): This report
describes the work currently being done by the
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the
University of Minnesota Medical School on certain
aspects of pregnant women and young infant
immunization with live attenuated oral poliomyelitis
viruses. The reasons for our interest in
these fields have been stated previously.1 ' 14
Preliminary reports of this work were presented
to this Conference one year ago. Since
that Conference new ideas, observations, speculations,
and conclusions have appeared for consideration.
Some of the old have been modified
or discarded. This report brings the results of
our studies up to date. It is divided into two
parts.
The first part concerns a study designed to:
(1) determine the immunologic response of
the pregnant woman to trivalent oral poliomyelitis
vaccine when administered in different dosages
and at different time intervals; and
(2) determine if the fetus she carries in utero
is significantly affected by this vaccination.
The second part concerns studies designed to:
(1) observe and compare the immunologic responses
of young infants to trivalent oral poliomyelitis
vaccine when fed soon after birth and
at age four months;
(2) observe the virus excretion patterns ot
the infant and its family contacts when the infant
is fed this vaccine;
(3) determine the relationship, if possible, of
the passively transferred maternal antibody to
the immunologic response and the virus excretion
pattern of the young infant fed this vaccine;
(4) determine the duration of antibody persistence;
and the proper time for and the immunologic
response to revaccination with trivalent
oral vaccine;
(5) determine the proper time for and the
immunologic response to revaccination with
trivalent oral vaccine if it becomes necessary.
Part 1.
Immunization of Pregnant Women with Live Attenuated Oral
Poliomyeliti is Vaccine
MATERIAL AND METHODS
Participants. Three hundred and ten pregnant
women who attended prenatal clinics under the
supervision of the Department of Obstetrics and
Gynecology of the University of Minnesota participated
in this study. Of these, 152 received
their care at Booth Memorial Hospital (BMH)
and 105 at Catholic Infants' Home (CIH) in
St. Paul, Minnesota. These groups of women
included all patients registered for prenatal care
at these institutions during the period of study.
All were unwed. The remaining 53 were private
207
and clinic patients who received obstetrical care
in the clinics of University of Minnesota Hospitals.
These participants were not consecutively
registered patients. Participation in the program
was voluntary.
Among the BMH and CIH women, the ages,
previous Salk experience, and trimester of pregnancy
in which the vaccine was fed, is similar to
that previously reported.' Because they report
earlier for prenatal care than either indigent
or unwed women, the majority of the first trimester
vaccinations were done in the private
patient group.