First Adult Safety Trial on Nasal Live Attenuated B. Pertussis Vaccine

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of a new live attenuated vaccine against whooping-cough. It is a phase1, single centre, dose-escalating, placebo-controlled study on a genetically modified B. pertussis strain given as a single intranasal dose to healthy adult male volunteers. Effective vaccines are needed to protect young infants (from 0 to 6 months, today the most vulnerable age group), preferably after a single administration very early in life. The successful outcome of this project would constitute an important milestone towards nasal vaccination of infants, possibly at birth with a novel, single-dose pertussis vaccine. Our ultimate aim is to protect infants in the most vulnerable age group, before the regular vaccination schedule using already available vaccines is applied. The ultimate aim is thus not to replace current vaccination schedules with available vaccines, but to add a first nasal vaccination to protect very early in life.