Vacuette cat serum tubes

Study participants (age range 25-67, Table 1) had either been vaccinated previously with a 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13, Prevenar 13, Pfizer; n=5) or were pneumococcal vaccine-naïve (n=4). Within this study, two physiological opsonophagocytic killing assays were compared using venous blood specimens from these nine healthy volunteers. The assay using hirudin-anticoagulated whole blood collected in S-monovette^® 1.6 mL tubes (Sarstedt, Germany) was compared to the assay using EDTA-anticoagulated whole blood collected in BD Vacutainer^® 4 mL tubes (BD, Switzerland) washed with DPBS and reconstituted with serum collected in Vacuette^® CAT serum tubes (Greiner Bio-One, Switzerland). Blood from an additional volunteer, who had recently received a MenACWY vaccine booster immunization was used for control experiments analyzing meningococcal clearance.

Four healthy volunteers were recruited upon informed and written consent (Table 2). All had been immunized with meningococcal capsule polysaccharide vaccines [MenACWY-CRM₁₉₇ (Menveo^®)], NeisVac-C (Pfizer), Mencevax™ (Pfizer), and unconjugated MenA+C (Sanofi-Pasteur) prior to enrolment. Three subjects, 3, 11, and 12, received two doses of the meningococcal protein vaccine 4CMenB in 2019 in the framework of this study. The second dose was given 2 months after the first one. Subject 2, who had been immunized with the recommended two doses of 4CMenB in 2016, only received one booster shot in 2019. Venous blood was taken before (Pre), 2 months post-dose 1 (mPD 1), 2 weeks post-dose 2 (wPD 2), and 6 months post-dose 2 (6mPD 2). For subject 2, blood was taken before (Pre), 2 weeks (wPB), 2 months (mPB), and 6 months post-booster (6mPB). Vacuette^® CAT serum tubes (Greiner Bio-one) were used to prepare the sera, and preservation of the terminal complement activity was reconfirmed (Complement TCC, Svar).

Five healthy volunteers were recruited upon informed and written consent. Four (2, 3, 9 and 12) had been immunized with meningococcal vaccines prior to enrolment (Table 2). All five received one dose of the MenACWY-CRM₁₉₇ vaccine (Menveo^®, GSK) in 2019-2020, in the framework of this study. Sera from venous blood were taken before, 2 weeks and 2 months after this vaccination. Vacuette^® CAT serum tubes (Greiner Bio-one) were used for collection of sera and preservation of their terminal complement activity was reconfirmed (Complement TCC, Svar). The numbers of the subjects are not consecutive, as these volunteers were part of a cohort receiving different vaccines. Subjects included in this study are not reflecting a selection, but include all subjects receiving a Menveo vaccination.