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Use of Biologic Therapy by Pregnant Women with Inflammatory Bowel Disease Does Not Affect Infant Response to Vaccines
Abstract
Background & Aims
In women with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), exposure to immunomodulator or biologic therapy has not been associated with adverse events during pregnancy or outcomes of newborns. We investigated whether exposure of patients to these agents during pregnancy affects serologic responses to vaccines in newborns.
Methods
We collected data from the Pregnancy in IBD and Neonatal Outcomes registry, which records outcomes of pregnant women with diagnosis of IBD receiving care at multiple centers in the United States, from 2007 – 2016. Serum samples collected from infants at least 7 months of were analyzed for titers of antibodies to Haemophilus influenzae B (HiB) or tetanus toxin; mothers completed a survey of vaccine practices and outcomes from July 2013 through October 2016. Umbilical cord blood samples from 33 infants was assayed for concentration of biologic agents. Vaccination response was compared between infants born to mothers exposed to biologic therapy (infliximab, adalimumab, certolizumab pegol, golimumab, natalizumab, vedolizumab, or ustekinumab—either as a single agent or in combination with an immunomodulator at any time between conception and delivery) and infants born to unexposed mothers.
Results
A total of 179 women completed the vaccine survey (26 biologic unexposed, 153 biologic exposed). We found no significant difference in proportions of infants with protective antibody titers against Hib born to exposed mothers (n=42) (71%) vs unexposed mothers (n=8) (50%) (P=.41). We also found no difference in the proportion of infants with protective antibody titers to tetanus toxoid born to exposed mothers (80%) vs unexposed mothers (75%) (P=.66). The median concentration of infliximab in cord blood did not differ significantly between infants with vs without protective antibody titers to HiB (P=.30) or tetanus toxoid (P=.93). Mild reactions were observed in 7/40 infants who received rotavirus vaccine and whose mothers had been exposed to biologic therapies.
Conclusions
Vaccination of infants against HiB and tetanus toxin, based on antibody titers measured after months of age, does not appear to be affected by in utero exposure to biologic therapy.
INTRODUCTION
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) - Crohn’s disease (CD), ulcerative colitis (UC) - frequently affects men and women in their reproductive years. Due to the progressive, relapsing-remitting course of disease, many patients with IBD require immunosuppressive and biologic therapy to obtain disease control. Achieving and maintaining adequate disease control is important to optimize pregnancy outcomes as active disease is associated with an increase in adverse pregnancy outcomes1. The impact of such medications on fertility, pregnancy and infant outcomes are of paramount importance to both the patients and the treating clinician. There have been multiple retrospective studies that have failed to show an association between anti-TNF therapy and adverse outcomes or congenital malformations in the IBD population2, 3. However, some biologics can cross the placenta and be present in the infant for the first several months of life4. There is limited data on the long-term impact of this exposure on the development of the neonatal immune system. The 2010 case report of death of an infant born to a mother on biologic therapy who was administered the Bacillus-Calmette- Guerin (BCG) vaccine at 3 months remains at the forefront and drives the pursuit for continued safety in our infants born in the era of biologic therapy5.
Studies have quantified anti-TNF drug concentration in the mother and infant and have demonstrated that measurable drug concentration can persist in the infant for up to 12 months4, 6. This persistence of drug has led to recommendations for avoiding live vaccines in infants during the time when they may have detectable concentrations of biologic drug. However, no alterations have been recommended for inactivated vaccines under the assumption that they are both safe and effective despite exposure to maternal immunosuppression. Studies in adults with IBD have demonstrated that individuals on immunosuppression, particularly combination immunomodulator-biologic therapy, have significantly lower rates of response to inactivated vaccines including pneumococcal and influenza vaccines7–9. It is unknown whether an infant exposed to biologic and immunomodulator therapy in utero and/or with detectable biologic concentration in the first year of life will mount an appropriate response to inactivated vaccines.
The Pregnancy in Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Neonatal Outcomes registry (PIANO) is one of the largest, prospective registries of maternal and childhood outcomes in IBD. It focuses on both pregnancy outcomes and early childhood health and development. The aims of this study were to measure infant response to vaccinations at one year of age and determine if maternal immunosuppression exposure affects vaccine response. In individuals where serum concentration of biologic drug was available at birth, we aimed to examine if higher drug concentration at birth was associated with attenuated response to vaccination.
METHODS
Study Cohort
The population for this study consisted of women enrolled in the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation PIANO registry, an ongoing, prospective, multicenter registry initiated in 2007. This prospective registry approached women with an established diagnosis of IBD receiving care at one of 30 centers throughout the United States. Upon obtaining informed consent, women provided detailed information regarding demographics, characteristics of their IBD including current and past treatments. Enrollment could occur at any point during pregnancy and participating women were followed prospectively throughout each trimester of pregnancy, and at delivery. Children born to these mothers were followed every 4 months in the first year of life, and then annually to the age of 4 years. To date, there are 1,564 patients enrolled in the PIANO registry. The survey on vaccine responses were administered to women who had an infant at least 12 months of age between July 2013 and October 2016. Among 211 such women, 179 completed the vaccine survey (85%) and were included in this analysis. In the United States, during the first year of life, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends Hepatitis B vaccines at birth, 1–2 months, and 6 months, DTaP, Pneumococcal, inactivated polio vaccine, and rotavirus at 2, 4, and 6 months, Haemophilus influenzae B at 2, 4, and 12 months, and MMR at 12 months. There were 261 infants at least 7 months of age during this period; 50 mothers agreed to test for vaccine titers in their infants. While women could be enrolled during more than one pregnancy in PIANO, there were no multiple enrollees in this vaccine sub-study.
For this study, women and infant pairs were classified into two groups. The ‘biologic exposed’ group consisted of those infants where the mother had been exposed to any biologic therapy (infliximab, adalimumab, certolizumab pegol, golimumab, natalizumab, vedolizumab, ustekinumab), either as a single agent or in combination with an immunomodulator at anytime between conception and delivery. The “no biologic” comparator population consisted of infants whose mothers had been on 5-aminosalicylates, antibiotics, steroids, immunomodulator monotherapy (azathioprine or 6-mercaptopurine), or on no therapy between conception and delivery.
Vaccination questionnaire and titer measurement
This sub-study included all patients with an infant of at least 7 months of age at the time of study initiation. Women who consented to participate were mailed a letter to be delivered to their infant’s pediatrician requesting measurement of vaccination response. A sample of 2 ml of infant blood was obtained to measure response to tetanus toxoid and Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib) vaccination following completion of primary immunizations at 2, 4, and 6 months of age. Serologic titers were measured at local laboratories. Vaccination response was considered adequate (within the immune range for that laboratory) or inadequate (below the immune range). These two vaccines were selected as they each represent a distinct type of antigen; the tetanus toxoid is a pure protein antigen while HiB represents a protein-polysaccharide conjugate6. Both vaccines depend on optimal T-helper and B-cell responses. Prior studies report that between 90–100% of children who completed the primary series achieved protective antitoxin titers against tetanus toxoid10, 11 and HiB12–14. Women were also specifically asked if the rotavirus vaccine was administered, and if not, the reason for skipping the vaccine. Information was obtained about completion of the primary immunization series and reasons for missed vaccines.
Cord blood and/or infant serum was assayed for concentration of infliximab, adalimumab, certolizumab pegol, vedolizumab, or ustekinumab from a subset of women enrolled in the study. Maternal, cord and infant serum were collected on the day of birth (0.5–2 ml blood required per sample). If the infant had detectable concentration of biologic drug at birth, the site coordinators contacted the mother to obtain additional infant samples at months 3 and 6 as appropriate. Maternal and cord blood samples were collected into tiger top tubes and from the baby into a gold top tube. The specimens were then packaged by hospital phlebotomy staff or nurse and shipped ambient to Prometheus Laboratories Inc. (San Diego, CA). Serum concentrations of all drugs were determined at Prometheus Laboratories, Inc. by mobility shift assay as previously described15. The assays for IFX, ADA, and vedolizumab have been validated and are in routine clinical use.
Statistical Analysis
All statistical analysis was performed at the Data Management Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Continuous variables were summarized using means and standard deviations and compared using the t-test while categorical variables were expressed in proportions and compared using the chi-square test with the Fisher’s exact modification when appropriate. Rates of adequate vaccination response to tetanus toxoid and HiB were compared across the biologic exposed and unexposed groups. Univariate logistic regression was performed to quantify the effect of medication exposure on adequate vaccination response with a two-sided p-value < 0.05 indicating statistical significance. Analyses were repeated excluding certolizumab pegol users given the known minimal trans-placental transfer of this agent. Non-parametric tests were used to compare the median cord levels of infliximab between vaccine responders and non-responders. The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board at each participating institution.
RESULTS
The study population included 179 women from the PIANO registry who completed the vaccination survey. The mothers’ mean age was 31.6 years and mean disease duration at the time of pregnancy was 9.5 years (Table 1). Two-thirds (67%) had Crohn’s disease (n=120). One-third of women each were in their first (n=67, 37%) or second pregnancy (n=55, 31%) while 24 women (13.4%) were in their fourth or subsequent pregnancy. Most women had inactive (77%) or mild disease activity (18%) at the time of pregnancy. Eleven women (6%) were on no immunosuppressive therapy, 15 (8%) on immunomodulator therapy, while the remaining were on biologics either as monotherapy (116, 65%) or in combination with an immunomodulator (37, 21%). There was no statistical difference in the mean age, type of IBD, smoking status, gravidity or disease activity across the two groups (Table 1). Vaccine titers were available to infants born to 50 women. Characteristics of mothers with available vaccine titers are shown in Table 2. Among the 42 biologic exposed patients, 27 were on infliximab, 7 on adalimumab, 3 on certolizumab, 2 each on natalizumab and ustekinumab, and 1 on vedolizumab. Eight infants born to women on immunomodulators alone or no immunosuppressive therapy formed the comparator population.
Table 1
Characteristics of included patients
| Characteristics | Biologic exposed (n=153) | Biologic unexposed (n=26) |
|---|---|---|
| Mean age (in years) (SD) | 31.4 (4.6) | 33.1 (3.2) |
| Type of IBD [N (%)] | ||
| Crohn’s disease | 107 (69.9) | 13 (50.0) |
| Ulcerative colitis | 43 (28.1) | 11 (42.3) |
| IBDU | 3 (2.0) | 2 (7.7) |
| Mean duration of disease (in years) (SD) | 8.9 (6.0) | 13.2 (7.6) |
| Smoking status [N (%)] | ||
| Never | 112 (73.2) | 18 (69.2) |
| Former / Current | 41 (26.8) | 8 (30.8) |
| Gravidity [N (%)] | ||
| 1 | 54 (35.3) | 13 (50.0) |
| 2 | 47 (30.7) | 8 (30.8) |
| 3 | 32 (20.9) | 1 (3.8) |
| 4+ | 20 (13.1) | 4 (15.4) |
| Disease Activity [N (%)] | ||
| None | 117 (77.0) | 19 (79.2) |
| Mild | 26 (17.1) | 5 (20.8) |
| Moderate | 8 (5.3) | 0 (0.0) |
| Severe | 1 (0.7) | 0 (0.0) |
| Medication use [N(%)] | ||
| Biologics | 153 (100.0) | 0 (0.0) |
| Immunomodulators | 37 (24.2) | 15 (57.7) |
| 5-ASA, steroids, antibiotics, or no therapy | N/A | 11 (42.3) |
SD – standard deviation; IBDU – IBD unspecified; ASA – aminosalicylates; N/A – not applicable
Table 2
Characteristics of women with available infant vaccine titers
| Characteristic | Biologic exposed (n=42) | Biologic unexposed (n=8) |
|---|---|---|
| Mean age (in years) (SD) | 31.7 (3.4) | 30.6 (4.4) |
| Mean disease duration (in years) (SD) | 10.4 (5.6) | 5.3 (2.3) |
| Type of IBD (%) | ||
| Crohn’s disease | 30 (71.4) | 4 (50.0) |
| Ulcerative colitis | 11 (26.2) | 4 (50.0) |
| IBDU | 1 (2.4) | 0 (0.0) |
| Ever smoker (%) | 5 (11.9) | 2 (25.0) |
| Disease activity (%) | ||
| None | 34 (81.0) | 5 (62.5) |
| Mild | 8 (19.0) | 3 (37.5) |
| Medication use [N(%)] | ||
| Biologics | 42 (100.0) | 0 (0.0) |
| Immunomodulators | 10 (23.8) | 2 (25.0) |
| 5-ASA, steroids, antibiotics, or no therapy | N/A | 6 (75.0) |
IBD – inflammatory bowel disease; IBDU – IBD unspecified; N/A – not applicable
Table 3 describes the percentages of women in each subgroup whose infants received the scheduled vaccinations during the first year of life. Most infants in both groups had received Hepatitis B, Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis (DTAP), Inactivated Polio (IPV), Haemophilus influenzae B (HiB), pneumococcal, Measles-Mumps-Rubella (MMR) and Varicella vaccines. Infants born to women on biologic mono or combination therapy (35%) were significantly less likely to have received the rotavirus vaccine compared to those on no immunosuppression (p=0.001). Among biologic exposed infants, the rate of receiving the rotavirus vaccine was lower in women on combination therapy (16%) compared to those on biologic monotherapy (41%, p=0.006). A majority of the women who reported skipping the rotavirus vaccines for their infants did so on their doctors’ advice (n=72) with only two and three women respectively reporting skipping the dose because of personal preference or concern for side effects.
Table 3
Proportion of infants receiving at least 1 dose of each of the vaccines
| Characteristics | Biologic unexposed (n=26) (%) | Biologic exposed (n=153) (%) | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hepatitis B | 81 | 75 | 0.51 |
| DTAP | 85 | 83 | 0.80 |
| IPV | 85 | 82 | 0.71 |
| HiB | 85 | 83 | 0.80 |
| Pneumococcal | 85 | 83 | 0.80 |
| MMR | 81 | 82 | 0.90 |
| Rotavirus | 69 | 35 | 0.001* |
| Varicella | 81 | 83 | 0.80 |
IPV – Inactivated polio vaccine; DTAP – Diphtheria, Tetanus, and Pertussis; HiB – Haemophilus influenzae B; MMR – measles, mumps and rubella
In the United States, during the first year of life, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends Hepatitis B vaccines at birth, 1–2 months, and 6 months, DTaP, Pneumococcal, and inactivated polio vaccine at 2, 4, and 6 months, Haemophilus influenzae B at 2, 4, and 12 months, MMR at 12 months, and rotavirus at 2, 4, and 6 months.
Information on serologic response to the HiB vaccine and to tetanus toxoid was available for 46 and 49 infants respectively (Figure 1). For the HiB vaccine, 71% of biologic exposed patients had adequate antibody titers compared to 50% of unexposed infants (p=0.41) (Odds ratio 2.45, 95% CI 0.52 – 11.60). Similarly, for tetanus toxoid, 80% of infants exposed to biologic therapy demonstrated adequate immune responses compared to 75% of unexposed infants (p=0.66) (OR 1.38, 95% CI 0.23 – 8.13). There was no difference in response to the vaccines by type of biologic therapy. The results were also unchanged when excluding certolizumab pegol, which has negligible rates of placental transfer (Odds ratio for adequate vaccine response in biologic exposed compared to unexposed infants – HiB: 2.25, 95% CI 0.45 – 11.33; tetanus 1.60, 95% CI 0.25 – 10.36). Among the 42 women on biologic therapy, 10 were on combination therapy with an immunomodulator. There was no difference in the proportion with adequate serologic response to either HiB (69% vs 78%) or tetanus (84% vs. 67%) between the biologic monotherapy and combination therapy groups respectively. Both groups had response rates similar to infants born to mothers on no immunosuppression.
* A total of 46 (38 biologic exposed, 8 unexposed) and 49 (41 biologic exposed, 8 unexposed) infants had available vaccine titer response to HiB and tetanus respectively.
Serum drug concentration were available for 29 infants (20 infliximab, 6 adalimumab, and 1 each for certolizumab, ustekinumab, and vedolizumab) and 33 cord blood samples (23 infliximab, 6 adalimumab, 2 ustekinumab, 1 each for vedolizumab and certolizumab). For tetanus toxoid, there was no difference between the rates of response in infants with undetectable (50%), therapeutic (3–10mcg/mL) (100%), high (10.1 – 20mcg/mL) (83%), and very high (> 20mcg/mL) biologic concentrations (p=0.37). Similarly, there was no association between response to HiB across the same four categories (50%, 83%, 100%, and 59% respectively (p=0.22)). As infliximab was the most commonly utilized biologic, we performed a subgroup analysis of women on this therapy. There was no association between infliximab concentration in cord blood and adequacy of immune response to HiB or tetanus vaccines (Figure 2). The median cord blood infliximab concentrations were similar between infants with adequate (24.3mcg/mL, interquartile range (IQR) 14.0 – 42.7 mcg/mL) or inadequate immune response to Hib (43.0 mcg/mL, IQR 28.5 – 53.3) (p=0.31). Similarly, for tetanus toxoid, there was no difference in the median infant cord level between those with (31.4 mcg/mL) and without (41.5 mcg/mL) adequate immune response (p=0.93).
(a) Haemophilus influenzae B
The median infliximab cord blood levels in infants with adequate and inadequate serologic response to HiB were 24.3 mcg/mL and 43.0 mcg/mL respectively (p=0.30)
(b) Tetanus toxoid
The median infliximab cord blood levels in infants with adequate and inadequate serologic response to tetanus were 31.4 mcg/mL and 41.5 mcg/mL respectively (p=0.93)
Infants born to 43 of the women on biologics (19 infliximab, 12 certolizumab, 7 adalimumab, 1 infliximab and certolizumab, and 1 ustekinumab) received the rotavirus vaccines. Among infants of 40 women for whom this data was available, 7 (17.5%) reported a reaction to the vaccine. Of these, 6 infants had a fever (5 infliximab, 1 adalimumab) and 1 had diarrhea (on infliximab). There was no correlation between infant drug concentration at birth and likelihood of reaction to rotavirus vaccine (Table 4).
Table 4
Characteristics of infants born to mothers on biologic therapy who received the rotavirus vaccine
| Biologic therapy | Number | Proportion with reaction [N(%)] | Type of reaction | Biologic level in infant (mcg/ml) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infliximab | 19 | 6 (32%) | Fever (n=5) Diarrhea (n=1) | Diarrhea: 72mcg/ml (at birth; 5 mcg/ml (at 3mo) No reactions: 44, 11, 42, 28, 22, 69 mcg/mL |
| Adalimumab | 7 | 1 (14%) | Fever (n=1) | No reaction: 14, 7 mcg/mL |
| Certolizumab | 12 | 0 (0%) | - | No reaction: 5mcg/mL |
| Ustekinumab | 1 | 0 | None | No reaction: 40mcg/mL |
DISCUSSION
The impact of medications used for the management of maternal IBD on the health and development of infants has not been historically systematically studied. With data demonstrating that in utero exposure to some biologics leads to persistence of drug concentrations for up to a year, there is need for robust examination of this effect on infant immune response. Using data from a rigorously followed prospective cohort of pregnant women with IBD, we demonstrate that the rates of adequate serologic response to HiB and tetanus vaccines were similar among infants born to women on biologic therapy compared to those who were not biologic users during pregnancy. There was also no association between cord blood or infant serum concentrations of biologics and adequacy of vaccine titers. In a small subset of infants exposed to maternal biologic therapy, rotavirus vaccine was administered without serious adverse reactions and with mild events occurring at a rate similar to that expected in the general population, suggesting a need for further studies in this population.
There is a significant body of literature examining the effect of immunosuppression on response to vaccination in patients with IBD, primarily in response to the influenza vaccine9. Mamula et al. studied 80 children (51 with IBD) who received a single dose of the inactivated influenza vaccine. Compared to healthy controls nearly all of whom (89–100%) developed protective titers to 3 different influenza virus antigens, only 33–85% of patients with IBD demonstrated protection to all 3 antigens. The reduced serologic response was more striking in patients on combination therapy. Some studies identified similar rates of initial response, but reduced persistence of the seroprotective titers at 2 years16. In adult IBD patients, Melmed et al. demonstrated that those on combination anti-TNF immunomodulator therapy had lower rates of response to the pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (45% vs. 80% with no immunosuppression)3. Dezfoli et al. demonstrated lower rates of response to tetanus vaccine in patients on combination therapy with anti-TNF and immunomodulator compared to those on no immunosuppression17.
Examination of adequacy of vaccine response in infants born to women on biologic therapy attained additional impetus with emergence of data suggesting persistence of detectable biologic concentrations in infants for many months after delivery. A prospective observational cohort by Julsgaard et al. demonstrated that infliximab concentration could persist for up to 12 months and adalimumab for 9 months after birth4. In contrast, certolizumab pegol, by virtue of being a PEG (polyethylene glycolylated) FaB immunoglobulin, does not bind to the neonatal Fcγ receptor responsible for transplacental transfer and was not found in infant or cord blood18. In this context, it is reassuring to note that in our study, infants exposed to maternal biologic (or immunomodulator therapy) had similar rates of serologic response to HiB or tetanus vaccines compared to infants of unexposed women in our cohort. However, the overall rates of adequate response to HiB and tetanus in our cohort, 67% and 80% respectively, were lower than noted historically. Prior studies report that between 90–100% of children who completed the primary series achieved protective antitoxin titers against tetanus toxoid10, 11 or HiB12, 13. Two reasons could explain the lower rates of response observed in our cohort a possible immunosuppressive effect of maternal IBD itself or the impact of in utero exposure to maternal immunosuppressive and biologic use, which our small sample size prevents us from distinguishing.
Despite the recommendations to avoid live vaccines in infants born to mothers on biologic therapy, infants born to 43 women on biologics received the rotavirus vaccine with just fewer than one-in-five developing a minor reaction. This is comparable to the rates of fever (42%) or diarrhea (19%) reported in the healthy infants in the general population in the Vesikari et al. publication that included over 34,000 infants19. In addition, it has been reported that the first dose of rotavirus vaccine given after 3 months of age in healthy infants was associated with an increased risk of intussusception20, 21. Prior studies of infants with severe immunodeficiency have shown severe live vaccine associated reactions22 and Cheent et al. described a case of severe, disseminated BCG infection resulting in death following vaccination at 3 months in an infant exposed to maternal infliximab5. In a systematic review, Croce et al. describe safety of live vaccines in 21, 082 patients on immunosuppressive therapy for immune-mediated disease (majority of study sample) or organ transplantation, most of whom received the herpes zoster vaccine23. Local or systemic reactions were infrequent, occurring in 1.3% of the cohort. However, none of the reports described patients receiving the rotavirus vaccine. Despite our data suggesting lack of severe side effects with the rotavirus vaccine in these infants, in the absence of robust evidence, one should continue to avoid live vaccines in infants born to mothers on biologic therapy (excluding certolizumab) during the first year of life or until drug clearance is confirmed. With the growing availability of tests, one could conceivably test serum drug concentration in infants, and if undetectable, consider live vaccination at that time, if appropriate for the vaccine, particularly in infants most likely to benefit from such vaccines.
We acknowledge several limitations to our study. While this is the largest study so far of vaccination response in infants of mothers on immunosuppressive and biologic medications, the number of children, particularly on no immunosuppression, was small and thus provided limited statistical power. However, of note, a few prior studies on vaccine responses in individuals with IBD had only modestly larger sample sizes (60–64 patients) and could demonstrate a statistically significant reduction in serologic response in immunosuppressed individuals. In addition, inclusion in this study relied on the willingness of mothers to subject their healthy, unaffected infants, to invasive blood draws at over 7 months of age, which was an understandable, practical constraint, limiting sample size. We assessed serologic response to only two vaccines, chosen as they provide a window into immune responses to protein and protein-polysaccharide vaccines. Drug levels were analyzed at a single time point (birth) given the smaller number of patients with levels available at 3 and 6 months. As the vaccines are administered at multiple time points, measurement of infant infliximab levels at each of these doses would be impractical. There is need for future studies to examine sustainability of response to vaccination in such infants.
In conclusion, despite the growing body of literature demonstrating that both conventional immunomodulator therapy with thiopurines (6-mercaptopurine, azathioprine), tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) antagonists, anti-integrin or anti IL-12/23 therapies are low risk during pregnancy and are not associated with congenital anomalies and pregnancy outcomes, short and long term impact on immune response in the infant is yet to be determined. This study is the largest prospective study to date looking at infants exposed to maternal immunomodulator or biologic use and infant vaccine response. In our infants, maternal immunosuppression use was not associated with lower rates of response to tetanus or HiB vaccines compared to unexposed infants of mothers with IBD, however overall rates of response were lower that historically reported. In a limited cohort of exposed infants given the rotavirus vaccine, there was no association with significant adverse reactions.
Acknowledgments
We acknowledge the valuable contributions of the participants and the research staff of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation PIANO registry
Source of funding: This work is supported by the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation.
Footnotes
Conflicts of Interest:
Ananthakrishnan: Scientific advisory boards for Abbvie, Takeda, and Merck.
Beaulieu: Consultant for Abbvie.
Martin: None
Cohen: Speaker’s Bureau: Abbvie; Takeda; Consultant / Advisory/ Scientific Advisory Board: Abbvie; Celgene; Entera Health; Hospira; Janssen (Johnson & Johnson); Pfizer; Sandoz Biopharmaceuticals; Takeda; UCB Pharma; Clinical Trials (Principal Investigator): Astra-Zeneca; Celgene; Gilead Sciences; Medimmune; Mesoblast Ltd.; Osiris Therapeutics; Pfizer; Receptos; RedHill Biopharma; Sanofi-Aventis; UCB Pharma
Kane: Consultant for Abbvie, Janssen, Samsung Bioepis, 11 Health, Spherix Global Health; Research funding UCB; Other: GI Specialty Board ABIM
Mahadevan: Consultant for Abbvie, Janssen, UCB, Takeda
Author contributions:
Ananthakrishnan and Beaulieu: recruited patients for the study, analysis and interpretation of data, drafting of the manuscript, critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content.Martin: Statistical analysis, interpretation of data, critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content.
Kane, Cohen: recruited patients for the study, interpretation of data, and critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content.
Mahadevan: study design, recruited patients for the study, analysis and interpretation of data, critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content