Cited by 118Immune responses and vaccinationsImmunotherapy and Immune ResponsesVaccine Coverage and Hesitancy

Non-specific effects of vaccines: plausible and potentially important, but implications uncertain

Open access
Pollard, Andrew J, Finn, Adam, Curtis, Nigel·2017·Archives of Disease in Childhood

Abstract

Non-specific effects (NSE) or heterologous effects of vaccines are proposed to explain observations in some studies that certain vaccines have an impact beyond the direct protection against infection with the specific pathogen for which the vaccines were designed. The importance and implications of such effects remain controversial. There are several known immunological mechanisms which could lead to NSE, since it is widely recognised that the generation of specific immunity is initiated by non-specific innate immune mechanisms that may also have wider effects on adaptive immune function. However, there are no published studies that demonstrate a mechanistic link between such immunological phenomena and clinically relevant NSE in humans. While it is highly plausible that some vaccines do have NSE, their magnitude and duration, and thus importance, remain uncertain. Although the WHO recently concluded that current evidence does not justify changes to immunisation policy, further studies of sufficient size and quality are needed to assess the importance of NSE for all-cause mortality. This could provide insights into vaccine immunobiology with important implications for infant health and survival.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1136/archdischild-2015-310282

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34 of 34 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • Several lines of evidence indicate that immunization with some vaccines perturbs the immune system in such a way that there are general changes in immune responsiveness that can increase protection against unrelated pathogens.

    “Several lines of evidence indicate that immunization with some vaccines perturbs the immune system in such a way that there are general changes in immune responsiveness that can increase protection against unrelated pathogens65.”

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Authors
Pollard, A. J., Finn, A., & Curtis, N.
Affiliations
  • University of Oxford (GB)
  • University of Bristol (GB)
  • Royal Children's Hospital (AU)
Corresponding author
Pollard, Andrew J
Venue
Archives of Disease in Childhood
Publisher
BMJ
Published
2017-05-13
Volume
102
Issue
11
Pages
1077-1081
ISSN
  • 0003-9888 (ISSN-L)
  • 1468-2044
OpenAlex
W2612737843
Cited by
118
References
34
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 17 · 2021: 26 · 2020: 30 · 2019: 12 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 4
FWCI
6.79
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by-nc-nd
Locations
  • Archives of Disease in Childhood (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Bristol Research (University of Bristol) (acceptedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • HighWire Press Open Archive (submittedVersion)
  • Explore Bristol Research (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
Funders
  • Pfizer
  • World Health Organization
  • University of Oxford
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Immunology › Immune responses and vaccinations
  • Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Immunology › Immunotherapy and Immune Responses
  • Social Sciences › Health › Vaccine Coverage and Hesitancy
Keywords
non-specific vaccine effects, innate immunity, adaptive immunity, all-cause mortality, vaccination policy, infant health, vaccine safety
MeSH terms
Communicable Diseases, Humans, Infant, Vaccines, Immunity, Heterologous

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