Description
Haemophilus influenzae type B (HiB) is a very common cause of invasive critical infectious diseases in children up to the age of six.
In many cases, HiB is lethal or leads to neurological damage, which cannot always be prevented by rapid antibiotic therapy. The underlying reason for the disease is very often a latent immunodeficiency with a specifically reduced humoral immune response to the polyribosylribitol phosphate (PRP) in the polysaccharide encapsulation of the bacterium. In children of 3 months of age or older a vaccination with different sorts of PRP-containing vaccines is recommended. This can lead to a clear reduction in the number of infections with Haemophilus influenzae type B. The titer of antibodies produced by vaccination can be used to confirm whether the vaccination has been successful. The HiB IgG ELISA is used to measure the level of PRP-specific IgG-antibodies following a 4-6 week period after complete immunization, to monitor the humoral immune status of children or other individuals at risk.
