Protecting From Pneumococcus in Early Life (The PROPEL Trial)

Plain-language summary

Streptococcus pneumoniae is responsible for over 10 percent of death in children under five and many of these deaths occur in early infancy before the current pneumococcal schedule is effective and nearly half occur in sub Saharan Africa. The PROPEL trial will examine the effect of either a maternal or a neonatal dose of a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine on pneumococcal colonisation in the nose which can be used to measure the risk of disease in early life. 600 Expectant mothers will be randomized at between 28 and 34 weeks to a maternal group, a neonatal group or a control group in equal number (200 per group). Their subsequent born offspring will be followed up until nine months of age. Infants born from expectant mothers in the maternal and control group will receive their subsequent pneumococcal conjugate vaccination according to the national Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) schedule in the Gambia at 8, 12 and 16 weeks while infants born to expectant mothers in the control group will receive the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine within 48 hours of birth and at 8 and 16 weeks of life. Randomization will be undertaken by defined un-blinded members of the clinical trial team who will be delegated for this task and who will not be involved in any other trial related procedures Pregnant women who are willing and who are identified by the staff of the government antenatal clinic as being potentially eligible according to gestation (assessed initially according to the date of the last menstrual period (LMP) - if known, or the fundal height), will be referred to a member of the clinical trial team. Those who remain interested in participation having had the details of the study explained will have basic demographic, obstetric and contact details collected and will be invited, at a time of their convenience, to the Medical Research Council (MRC) clinical trial site for the formal informed consent process to be completed. Following informed consent, pregnancy will be confirmed with a urinary pregnancy test. Initial screening (e.g. for past-obstetric history and past-medical history etc) will be undertaken at this point along with screening bloods for serology (HIV, hepatitis B and syphilis) and haematology (haemoglobin and sickle test). A dating ultrasound scan (USS) will also be undertaken by designated clinical trial staff. On completion of screening, expectant mothers who are confirmed to be eligible according to the defined inclusion and exclusion criteria will be enrolled and randomized in parallel into one of three equally sized groups mentioned above (maternal, neonatal, control). According to the group into which they have been randomized, mothers will receive a dose of PCV13 and tetanus toxoid \[maternal group\], placebo (0.9% sodium chloride) and tetanus toxoid \[control group\] or tetanus toxoid alone \[neonatal group\]. From this point on, the maternal and control groups (now 'Routine EPI Schedule') will be followed up in exactly the same way for the purposes of interventions and all endpoint assessments. Infants in the neonatal group ('Neonatal Schedule') will be followed up according to the schedule outlined. At the time of presentation to the delivery unit a blood sample for serology and malaria Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) and an nasopharyngeal swab (NPS) sample will be obtained prior to or shortly following delivery. Immediately following delivery a sample of cord blood will be obtained and as soon as possible an NPS sample will be taken from the newborn. Anthropometric measurements will be taken from the newborn and an examination conducted. Once there has not been any contraindication to vaccination identified, all newborns will be administered the routine EPI vaccines according to the schedule in The Gambia (BCG, Hepatitis B and OPV). Those newborns in the Neonatal group will additionally be administered a single intramuscular (IM) dose of PCV13. At two, three and four months, infants will be administered the routine EPI vaccines. Those infants in the Maternal and Control Groups (Routine EPI Schedule) will additionally receive PCV13 at eight, 12, and 16 weeks while those in the Neonatal group will receive the vaccine at eight and 16 weeks only having received the first dose at birth. All infants will additionally receive a single dose of the inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) at 16 weeks in line with the routine EPI schedule in The Gambia. Following the vaccines administered to expectant mothers and following the vaccines administered at birth, home visits will be undertaken on day 1 to 6 to collect solicited local and systemic adverse (for PCV only) reactions and any unsolicited. A day 7 safety clinic visit will be conducted following the vaccines administered to expectant mothers and following the vaccines administered at birth. Infant will attend the clinical trial site for NPS and blood samples to be taken at specific time points.

Who can participate

What they're measuring

Trial details