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

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

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

DOI 10.1136/archdischild-2015-310282

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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.

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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
ORCID: Pollard, Andrew J
Finn, Adam
Curtis, Nigel
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
DOI: 10.1136/archdischild-2015-310282
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: green
hdl.handle.net
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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Non-specific effects of vaccines: plausible and potentially important, but implications uncertain

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