Timing of maternal Tdap vaccination: A dynamic balance between antibody induction and placental transfer efficiency
Vaccine·
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.vaccine.2026.128953
- PMID
- 42472495
- PMCID
- —
- OpenAlex
- W7169795168
- Study type
- Randomised controlled trial
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Article type
- journal-article
- Integrity
- current
Why this research matters now
The results validate existing protocols recommending immunization within the specified mid-pregnancy timeframe while demonstrating operational flexibility for clinical scheduling.
Structured evidence summary
Research question
How does administering a combined tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis vaccine at different pregnancy stages affect maternal and infant immune markers?
Study design
Researchers conducted a prospective cohort study in Belgium involving ninety-six pregnant participants who received immunizations at varying intervals between sixteen and thirty-two weeks of gestation.
Population and setting
The investigation examined pregnant individuals residing in Belgium who were tracked throughout mid-to-late pregnancy following vaccine administration.
Main findings
Delayed immunization corresponded with increased maternal immunoglobulin concentrations at delivery, whereas fetal antibody levels showed no statistically significant variation across timing groups. Placental transfer metrics diminished as pregnancy advanced, yet functional antibody activity remained stable.
Public-health relevance
The results validate existing protocols recommending immunization within the specified mid-pregnancy timeframe while demonstrating operational flexibility for clinical scheduling.
Important limitations
This summary relies exclusively on the provided abstract and metadata, necessitating the complete manuscript for decision-grade interpretation. The non-randomized cohort design further limits causal inference regarding timing effects.
GIDS interpretation
This report supplies immunological parameters related to vaccine scheduling windows, offering contextual reference points for potential future guideline reviews or epidemiological modeling efforts.
Related GIDS surveillance
Literature context does not validate, explain, or change a surveillance signal. Exact and contextual relationships are shown separately.
Evidence relationships
This article has 12 auditable classifier relationships to diseases, places, topics, and study design.