Evidence of Extended Thermo-Stability of Typhoid Polysaccharide Conjugate Vaccines

✅ 全文

伤寒多糖结合疫苗具有扩展热稳定性的证据

作者 Fang Gao; Kay Lockyer; Alastair Logan; Sarah F. Davis; Barbara Bolgiano; Sjoerd Rijpkema; Gopal Singh; Sai Prasad; Samuel Pradeep Dondapati; Gurbaksh Singh Sounkhla 期刊 Microorganisms 发表日期 2021 ISSN 2076-2607 DOI 10.3390/microorganisms9081707 类型 原创研究 (Original Research)

📄 中文摘要 Chinese Abstract

中文
伤寒结合疫苗(TCV)可有效预防由伤寒沙门氏菌(Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi)引起的肠热病,该病是低收入和中等收入国家全球疾病负担的主要促成因素。为促进Vi荚膜多糖-破伤风类毒素结合疫苗Typbar TCV的供应和接种,开展了一项扩展受控温度条件(ECTC)研究。该研究旨在确认疫苗在其保质期结束时(2–8 °C下36个月)于40 °C存放3天后的质量,使其在临接种前可在冷链外运输和储存。ECTC研究所需的关键稳定性指标包括疫苗的鉴别、结合物分子大小和完整性(游离Vi PS)、Vi PS的O-乙酰化含量以及pH值。

📋 英文结构化总结 English Structured Summary

全文整理

EN

Background:

Typhoid conjugate vaccines (TCV) are effective in preventing enteric fever caused by Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi, a major contributor to the global disease burden in low- and middle-income countries. To facilitate the supply and administration of the Vi capsular polysaccharide–tetanus toxoid conjugate vaccine, Typbar TCV, an extended controlled-temperature conditions (ECTC) study was performed. This study aimed to confirm the vaccine's quality at 40 °C for 3 days at the end of its shelf-life (36 months at 2–8 °C), allowing it to be transported and stored outside a cold chain just prior to administration. Key stability indicators required for the ECTC study include the vaccine’s identity, molecular size and integrity of the conjugate (free Vi PS), O-acetylation content of Vi PS, and pH.

Methods:

Studies were performed in parallel by the vaccine manufacturer, Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL), and an independent national control laboratory (NIBSC). Vaccines were subjected to ECTC conditions at 35 months following their manufacture. Samples were incubated at 40 ± 2 °C (BBIL) or 45 ± 2 °C (NIBSC) for 3 and 7 days, with controls stored at 2–8 °C and 55 ± 2 °C or 56 ± 2 °C. Stability-indicating parameters were monitored: O-acetylation was quantified by a validated micro-Hestrin assay; molecular sizing was analyzed using HPLC-SEC; free Vi polysaccharide was separated from the Vi–TT conjugate using a validated DOC-HCl precipitation method and quantified via HPAEC-PAD (NIBSC) or rocket immunoelectrophoresis (BBIL); and pH was determined using a calibrated pH meter.

Results:

ECTC samples stored at 40 °C and 45 °C, in comparison with control samples stored at 4 °C and 55 or 56 °C, were shown to have stable O-acetylation and pH. There was no indication of a decrease in O-acetylation levels in single- or multi-dose vials, and levels remained above the minimum limit recommended by WHO. Only very slight increases in the percentage of free saccharide and corresponding decreases in molecular size were observed. The amount of free saccharide increased at higher temperatures and with longer exposures, but all samples exposed to elevated temperatures remained within 20% free saccharide. The deoxycholate method for precipitating conjugated polysaccharide was very sensitive to small incremental increases in the percentage of free saccharide, in line with storage temperature and duration.

Data Summary:

For the single-dose Typbar TCV tested at 35 months, the percentage of free Vi PS increased from 7.7% at 4 °C to 11.4% at 45 °C for 3 days, 14.6% at 45 °C for 7 days, and 17.5% at 56 °C for 7 days. For the multi-dose TCV, free Vi PS increased from 7.7% at 4 °C to 12.6% at 45 °C for 3 days, 13.6% at 45 °C for 7 days, and 20.4% at 56 °C for 7 days. O-acetyl content remained stable across conditions, ranging from 0.084 to 0.097 µmole/SHD for single-dose and 0.087 to 0.101 µmole/SHD for multi-dose TCV. The percentage of the main peak eluting by Kd = 0.5 remained high, ranging from 95.4% to 96.3% for single-dose and 97.9% to 99.0% for multi-dose TCV.

Conclusions:

This extended ECTC study demonstrated minimal structural changes to the Vi polysaccharide and conjugate vaccine and a stable formulation following extended exposure to elevated temperatures for the desired durations. The vaccine was found to be very stable, with little structural change of the Vi PS following exposure to temperatures at 40 to 45 °C for up to 7 days, thus exceeding the WHO minimal requirement for an ECTC label claim of 3 days at 40 °C. This outcome supports the manufacturer’s ECTC claim for the vaccine to be allowed to be taken outside the cold chain before its administration.

Practical Significance:

Allowing the Typbar TCV vaccine to be taken outside the cold chain just prior to administration facilitates greater flexibility for vaccination campaigns and reduces the demand for infrastructure requirements in the field. This is a real advantage for the supply and administration of TCVs in areas where typhoid is endemic, and should reduce vaccine wastage and greatly benefit the efficiency of the roll-out of TCV in endemic country programs.

📋 中文结构化总结 Chinese Structured Summary

中文

背景:

伤寒结合疫苗(TCV)可有效预防由伤寒沙门氏菌(Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi)引起的肠热病,该病是低收入和中等收入国家全球疾病负担的主要促成因素。为促进Vi荚膜多糖-破伤风类毒素结合疫苗Typbar TCV的供应和接种,开展了一项扩展受控温度条件(ECTC)研究。该研究旨在确认疫苗在其保质期结束时(2–8 °C下36个月)于40 °C存放3天后的质量,使其在临接种前可在冷链外运输和储存。ECTC研究所需的关键稳定性指标包括疫苗的鉴别、结合物分子大小和完整性(游离Vi PS)、Vi PS的O-乙酰化含量以及pH值。

方法:

研究由疫苗制造商巴拉特生物技术国际有限公司(BBIL)和独立的国家控制实验室(NIBSC)平行进行。疫苗在生产后35个月时经受ECTC条件处理。样品分别在40 ± 2 °C(BBIL)或45 ± 2 °C(NIBSC)下孵育3天和7天,对照样品分别储存在2–8 °C和55 ± 2 °C或56 ± 2 °C下。监测了以下稳定性指示参数:O-乙酰化含量通过经验证的微量Hestrin法定量;分子大小排阻分析采用HPLC-SEC;游离Vi多糖通过经验证的DOC-HCl沉淀法从Vi-TT结合物中分离,并通过HPAEC-PAD(NIBSC)或火箭免疫电泳(BBIL)定量;pH值使用经校准的pH计测定。

结果:

与储存在4 °C和55或56 °C的对照样品相比,储存在40 °C和45 °C的ECTC样品显示出稳定的O-乙酰化含量和pH值。单剂量和多剂量小瓶中均未观察到O-乙酰化水平下降,且水平仍高于WHO推荐的最低限值。仅观察到游离糖百分比有非常轻微的升高,以及相应的分子大小有轻微的降低。游离糖含量随温度升高和暴露时间延长而增加,但所有暴露于高温的样品中游离糖含量均保持在20%以下。脱氧胆酸盐沉淀结合多糖的方法对游离糖百分比的微小增量变化非常敏感,与储存温度和持续时间呈正相关。

数据汇总:

对于在35个月时检测的单剂量Typbar TCV,游离Vi PS的百分比从4 °C时的7.7%分别升高至45 °C 3天后的11.4%、45 °C 7天后的14.6%以及56 °C 7天后的17.5%。对于多剂量TCV,游离Vi PS从4 °C时的7.7%分别升高至45 °C 3天后的12.6%、45 °C 7天后的13.6%以及56 °C 7天后的20.4%。O-乙酰基含量在各条件下保持稳定,单剂量TCV为0.084至0.097 µmole/SHD,多剂量TCV为0.087至0.101 µmole/SHD。通过Kd = 0.5洗脱的主峰百分比保持较高水平,单剂量TCV为95.4%至96.3%,多剂量TCV为97.9%至99.0%。

结论:

这项扩展的ECTC研究表明,Vi多糖和结合疫苗在长时间暴露于高温后仅发生极微小的结构变化,制剂保持稳定。疫苗表现出极高的稳定性,Vi PS在40至45 °C下暴露长达7天后几乎没有结构变化,因此超出了WHO对ECTC标签声明(40 °C下3天)的最低要求。该结果支持制造商关于疫苗可在临接种前脱离冷链的ECTC声明。

实际意义:

允许Typbar TCV疫苗在临接种前脱离冷链,有助于提高疫苗接种活动的灵活性,并减少对现场基础设施的需求。这对于伤寒流行地区的TCV供应和接种是一个切实的优势,应能减少疫苗浪费,并极大地促进TCV在流行国家项目中的推广效率。

📖 英文全文 English Full Text

EN

Microorganisms Microorganisms 3054 microorg microorganisms Microorganisms 2076-2607 Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI) PMC8400138 PMC8400138.1 8400138 8400138 34442786 10.3390/microorganisms9081707 microorganisms-09-01707 1 Article Evidence of Extended Thermo-Stability of Typhoid Polysaccharide Conjugate Vaccines Gao Fang 1 * Lockyer Kay 1 Logan Alastair 1 Davis Sarah 1 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9428-3536 Bolgiano Barbara 1 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0389-8904 Rijpkema Sjoerd 1 Singh Gopal 2 Prasad Sai D. 2 Dondapati Samuel Pradeep 2 Sounkhla Gurbaksh Singh 2 Dozois Charles M. Academic Editor 1 National Institute for Biological Standards and Control (NIBSC), South Mimms EN6 3QG, UK; kay.lockyer@nibsc.org (K.L.); Alastair.Logan@nibsc.org (A.L.); sarah.davis8445@talktalk.net (S.D.); barbara.bolgiano@nibsc.org (B.B.); Sjoerd.Rijpkema@nibsc.org (S.R.) 2 Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL), Hyderabad 500078, India; gopal3176@bharatbiotech.com (G.S.); prasadsd@bharatbiotech.com (S.D.P.); samuel2816@bharatbiotech.com (S.P.D.); gurbaksh3875@bharatbiotech.com (G.S.S.) * Correspondence: Fang.Gao@nibsc.org 11 8 2021 8 2021 9 8 388927 1707 12 7 2021 07 8 2021 11 08 2021 29 08 2021 30 08 2021 © 2021 by the authors. 2021 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ). Typhoid conjugate vaccines (TCV) are effective in preventing enteric fever caused by Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi in Southeast Asia and Africa. To facilitate vaccination with the Vi capsular polysaccharide–tetanus toxoid conjugate vaccine, Typbar TCV, and allow it to be transported and stored outside a cold chain just prior to administration, an extended controlled-temperature conditions (ECTC) study was performed to confirm the quality of the vaccine at 40 °C for 3 days at the end of its shelf-life (36 months at 2–8 °C). Studies performed in parallel by the vaccine manufacturer, Bharat Biotech International Limited, and an independent national control laboratory (NIBSC) monitored its stability-indicating parameters: O -acetylation of the Vi polysaccharide, integrity of the polysaccharide–protein conjugate, and its molecular size and pH. ECTC samples stored at 40 °C and 45 °C in comparison with control samples stored at 4 °C and 55 or 56 °C, were shown to have stable O -acetylation and pH; only very slight increases in the percentage of free saccharide and corresponding decreases in molecular size were observed. The deoxycholate method for precipitating conjugated polysaccharide was very sensitive to small incremental increases in percentage of free saccharide, in line with storage temperature and duration. This extended ECTC study demonstrated minimal structural changes to the Vi polysaccharide and conjugate vaccine and a stable formulation following extended exposure to elevated temperatures for the desired durations. This outcome supports the manufacturer’s ECTC claim for the vaccine to be allowed to be taken outside the cold chain before its administration. enteric glycoconjugate Hestrin stability pmc-status-qastatus 0 pmc-status-live yes pmc-status-embargo no pmc-status-released yes pmc-prop-open-access yes pmc-prop-olf no pmc-prop-manuscript no pmc-prop-legally-suppressed no pmc-prop-has-pdf yes pmc-prop-has-supplement no pmc-prop-pdf-only no pmc-prop-suppress-copyright no pmc-prop-is-real-version no pmc-prop-is-scanned-article no pmc-prop-preprint no pmc-prop-in-epmc yes pmc-license-ref CC BY 1. Introduction Supply of thermostable vaccines to control enteric fever in endemic regions of Asia and Africa would benefit country health programs, international organizations and vaccine producers. Enteric fever is caused by systemic infection with Salmonella enterica subspecies serovars Typhi ( S. Typhi ) and Paratyphi. It is a major contributor to the global disease burden with an estimated 9.24 million cases from S. Typhi in 2019 and 14.3 million from both S. Paratyphi and S. Typhi in 2017, contributing to approximately 1.53 million deaths per annum [ 1 , 2 ]. Whilst non-typeable Salmonella infections typically cause diarrheal illness, typhoid infections typically produce bacteremia accompanied by febrile illnesses, with prolonged high fever and headache being common symptoms [ 3 ]. These infections are relatively common in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) with poor water supply and sanitation, but infections can be controlled through vaccination with typhoid conjugate vaccines. Vaccination can also break the escalating cycle of antibiotic resistance that is limiting the effectiveness of treatment options in areas with multidrug-resistant microorganisms [ 4 ]. Glycoconjugate vaccines, which use capsular polysaccharide (PS)-based components of encapsulated pathogens conjugated to epitopes of T cell-dependent protein antigens, are well-known for providing long-term immunity and the elimination of respiratory diseases in infants, children, and adults. The first demonstration of efficacy of a glycoconjugate vaccine against an enteric microorganism occurred with a typhoid Vi PS conjugated to recombinant exotoxin A of Pseudomonas aeruginosa [ 5 ]. The subsequent program of the World Health Organization (WHO) to strengthen the development of typhoid conjugate vaccines (TCVs) for vaccination programs led to manufacturing initiatives, human challenge trials, and field studies that have resulted in the rollout of vaccines in Africa and Southeast Asia [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ]. Numerous vaccines have been licensed, including Typbar TCV (Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL), Hyderabad, India) in 2013, PedaTyph (BioMed, Ghaziabad, India) in 2008, and a TCV produced by Zydus Cadila (Ahmedabad, India) and licensed in 2017 [ 8 ], all of which consist of Vi PS, either from S. Typhi conjugated to tetanus toxoid (TT), conjugates with diphtheria toxoid [ 10 ], CRM 197 (cross-reacting material 197, a non-toxic variant of diphtheria toxin [ 11 ]), and recombinant exotoxin A of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (rEPA) amongst others [ 12 ]. Typbar TCV received WHO prequalification in 2017, meaning it met the WHO expectations for quality, safety, and efficacy for procurement by the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) for use in global immunization programs [ 13 ]. To facilitate its supply to vaccination centers, the vaccine has also been subject to stability testing following the WHO protocol for extended controlled-temperature conditions (ECTC) [ 14 ] to ensure its quality and effectiveness if the cold chain cannot be guaranteed during the final stages of distribution. The current ECTC requirement is that the vaccine must exhibit a suitable stability profile following a single exposure to at least 40 °C for a minimum of 3 days at the end of its shelf-life. An application for the extension of a vaccine’s license (and label) can be made to allow for it to be taken out of the cold chain just prior to administration. This can facilitate greater flexibility for vaccination campaigns and reduce the demand for infrastructure requirements in the field, making this a real advantage for the supply and administration of TCVs in areas where typhoid is endemic. Key stability indicators for TCV that are required for ECTC study include the vaccine’s identity, molecular size and integrity of the conjugate (free Vi PS), O -acetylation content of Vi PS, and pH [ 12 ]. In this report, the manufacturer conducted a formal ECTC study and also collaborated with a control laboratory for independent evaluation of the vaccine’s thermostability. Following a preliminary ECTC collaborative study at 40 °C on single-dose vials of the TCV involving BBIL and the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control (NIBSC), the national control laboratory of the U.K., in 2015–2016, a further study was carried out on both single- and multi-dose formulations of the TCV vaccine to confirm its stability at 45 °C. This paper presents the results of that study and compares the methods used for its analysis. 2. Materials and Methods 2.1. Materials Lots representing a single-dose and a five-dose Typbar TCV (Vi–TT conjugate) and a single-dose Typbar Vi PS vaccine (as control) were used by NIBSC in this study. All lots were taken from commercial batches that were near the end of their shelf-life (36 months at 2–8 °C). The manufacturer tested six lots of single-dose and 2 lots of multi-dose TCV. One single human dose (SHD) of the TCV and PS vaccine contains 25 ± 5 µg Vi PS from S. Typhi . The vaccine is presented in saline in the multi-dose vials, with 2-phenoxyethanol as a preservative [ 13 ]. 2.2. Stability Conditions Vaccines were subjected to ECTC conditions at 35 months following their manufacture, one month before the end of their shelf-life. Samples were incubated at 40 ± 2 °C (BBIL) or 45 ± 2 °C (NIBSC) for 3 and 7 days. Vaccine vials were also stored at 2–8 °C (designated storage temperature) and 55 ± 2 °C (BBIL) or 56 ± 2 °C (NIBSC) as a high temperature control. Following exposure, all samples were stored at 2–8 °C until further analysis, which was completed before the end of shelf-life. 2.3. Capture ELISA for Vi PS Identity A Vi PS capture ELISA was performed at NIBSC to determine the identity of Vi PS in typhoid vaccines, according to Hitri et al. [ 15 ] with some modifications. Following the coating of plates (Nunc Maxisorp) with horse anti-mouse IgG and a blocking step with 1% w/v BSA, TCV and Vi PS vaccine samples were diluted from 1:100 to 1:102,400 in assay buffer (PBS with 0.1% v/v Brij-35 (Thermo Scientific, Waltham, MA, USA 20150) and 1% w/v BSA) in 2-fold dilutions across the plate, with a final volume of 100 µL. Plates were incubated at room temperature for 1 h, washed, and 100 µL of rabbit anti-Vi serum (NIBSC 04/152) diluted 1:5000 in assay buffer was added to the wells and incubated at room temperature for 2 h. Plates were washed, and bound IgG was detected by incubation with 100 µL goat anti-rabbit IgG-HRP (Sigma, Kawasaki City, Japan) diluted 1:10,000 in assay buffer per well at room temperature for 1 h. Plates were developed, and ODs were read at 450 nm. CombiStats software was used to evaluate the binding curves. The sample identity is positive if the Vi PS content is calculated to be NLT 40 µg/mL based on the dose–response curve of the reference Vi PS preparation (NIBSC 16/126), and the curve should be comparable with NIBSC 16/126 with no significant deviations from parallelism or linearity. 2.4. Micro-Hestrin Assay of O-Acetylation The level of O -acetylation of Vi PS in the vaccine was quantified by the Hestrin method, a pharmacopeial assay. At NIBSC, a validated micro-Hestrin assay [ 15 ] based on Eur Ph 2.5.19 was performed using acetylcholine chloride (Sigma A-6625, purity NLT 99%) dissolved in 0.001 M sodium acetate with a range of 4.125 to 0.055 µmol/mL) as a standard. Standard and samples were analyzed in triplicate. The linear regression curve from the plot (µmol/mL versus optical density) gave the O -acetyl group content expressed as µmol O -acetyl/mL, which was converted into µmol/SHD. Assay precision (12.0% CV) was determined from two different Vi PS samples run in triplicate in two separate assays at NIBSC, and inter-laboratory precision between BBIL and NIBSC was 19.6% [ 16 ]. 2.5. Molecular Sizing At NIBSC, a Thermo (Dionex) ICS5000 System with Chromeleon software version 7.2 was used for molecular sizing analysis. An amount of 100 µL of TCV or PS vaccine was injected onto the Tosoh TSK 6000+5000 PWXL column series with a PWXL guard column (Tosoh Bioscience) and eluted with PBS ‘A’ (10.1 mM Na 2 HPO 4 , 1.84 mM KH 2 PO 4 , 171 mM NaCl, and 3 mM KCl, pH 7.3–7.5) at a flow rate of 0.25 mL/min for 130 min. The UV signals at 214 nm and 280 nm and the refractive index were monitored. The column oven was set to 30 °C. Consistency of elution of column calibrants was used as a system suitability test. The void elution time (determined with Salmon DNA, Sigma D1626) was at 47.9 min, and the total column elution time (tyrosine, Sigma T3754) was at 99.3 min using UV detection (280 nm). The distribution coefficient (K D ) of the eluted peak and the percentage eluting by a specified K D of 0.5 were determined using the 280 nm signal for TCV and 214 nm signal for the PS vaccine. The intermediate precision of the percentage eluting by a specified K D was ±1.0. 2.6. DOC Precipitation to Obtain Free Polysaccharide To separate the free Vi PS from the Vi–TT conjugate, a validated DOC-HCl precipitation method was used, based on the method of Lei et al. [ 17 ]. TCV was diluted to 10 µg Vi PS/mL in deH 2 O (MilliQ), and 100 µL of 1% w/v sodium deoxycholate (DOC, Sigma D6750) (pH 6.8) was added to 1 mL of sample to precipitate TT. The sample was incubated on ice for 30 min and 50 µL of 1 M HCl solution was added and then centrifuged at 6000× g at 22–23 °C for 15 min. The supernatant (containing free Vi PS) was removed, and samples were dried in a SpeedVac for 10 h before proceeding to the HPAEC-PAD assay. The percentage free Vi PS was calculated on the basis of measured total Vi saccharide content. 2.7. Vi Saccharide Content At NIBSC, Vi saccharide content was determined using the method of high-performance anion-exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection (HPAEC-PAD). Vi PS from the procedure in 2.6 (free Vi) was reconstituted in 1 mL deH 2 O, alongside 1:5 diluted conjugate vaccine (total PS content), and hydrolyzed using NaOH (Fisher Scientific 10050470) at a final concentration of 2 M at 110 °C for 4 h [ 11 ]. Homologous Vi PS from S. Typhi IS (NIBSC 16/126) was used as reference, which is preferred over the use of heterologous Vi PS as a standard [ 16 ]. Vi PS from NIBSC 16/126 was diluted in water in a range from 27 to 0.5 µg/mL. A Thermo (Dionex) ICS5000 HPAEC-PAD system with the Amino Trap and CarboPac PA1 columns (Thermofisher Scientific, UK) was used for Vi PS quantitation. Eluting conditions were 0–2 min, 100 mM NaOH; 2–22 min, 100 mM NaOH and 40–150 mM NaNO 3 ; and 22–31 min, 100 mM NaOH, with flow rate of 1 mL/min [ 11 ]. Vi was detected by pulsed amperometric detector with the following pulsed potential and durations: E1 = 0.1 V, t1 = 400 ms; E2 = −2 V, t2 = 20 ms; E3 = 0.6 V, t3 = 10 ms; E4 = −0.1 V, t4 = 60 ms. Chromeleon software (Version 7.2) was used to program the runs and analyze data. The data were converted into µg Vi PS/SHD by multiplying µg Vi PS/mL by 0.5 mL/SHD. The combined uncertainty of the method, factoring in method precision and reference standard uncertainty, was ±1.407 µg/dose. At BBIL, Vi saccharide content was measured with a rocket immunoelectrophoresis method based on Szu et al. [ 18 ], using polysaccharide standards between 0.5 and 1.25 µg Vi and anti-Vi sera (rabbit polyclonal antibody, BD Difco) for detection. For further details, see Gao et al. [ 16 ]. 2.8. pH Determination The pH of samples was determined at room temperature using a pH meter calibrated with pH 4, 7, and 10 buffers. The pH values were accurate to ±0.075 pH units at NIBSC and ±0.05 pH units at BBIL. 3. Results 3.1. Quality of the Polysaccharide O -acetylation of Vi polysaccharide is necessary for a protective immune response [ 19 , 20 ], and it is labile to extremes in pH and temperature. There was no indication of a decrease in O -acetylation levels in the single- or multi-dose vials during the stability study. Similar O -acetylation levels ( p = 0.169) were obtained by both laboratories at initial release by the manufacturer and at end-of-shelf life by the control laboratory ( Table 1 , Table 2 and Table 3 ). There was no trend in O -acetyl level in ECTC samples, which were above the minimum limit recommended by WHO [ 21 ]. 3.2. Integrity of the Conjugate The molecular sizing profiles of two lots of TCV were similar at both incubating temperatures and for both durations, with the exception of a slightly later eluting peak for TCV following storage at 56 °C for 7 days ( Figure 1 and Figure 2 , UV 280 nm). With a distribution coefficient of K D = 0.5, 95.4% to 96.3% of the main peak eluted by the specified K D for the single-dose formulation, as did 97.9% to 99.0% of the main peak of multi-dose TCV. The PS vaccine showed a lower percentage elution of Vi PS at K D = 0.5 following storage at 56 °C (92.0%) compared with vaccine stored at 4 °C (96.3%) ( Table 1 and Figure 3 , UV 214 nm). The percentage free saccharide for both single- and multi-dose TCV increased following storage at temperatures of 45 °C and 56 °C for 3 or 7 days, compared with vaccine stored at 4 °C, using the DOC-HPAEC-PAD method at NIBSC ( Table 1 ). The amount of free saccharide increased at higher temperatures and with longer exposures, and the amount was compatible with 8% free saccharide detected at the end of shelf-life (2–8 °C). Changes were incremental, depending on temperature and incubation time. After 3 days at 56 °C, the amount of free saccharide rose to 11% and 13%, and after 7 days at 45 °C, free saccharide increased to 15% and 14% for the single-dose and multi-dose, respectively. Samples stored at 56 °C for 3 days were equivalent to those stored at 45 °C for 7 days, and the amount of free saccharide rose to 18% and 20% after 7 days storage at 56 °C for the single-dose and multi-dose, respectively. All samples exposed to elevated temperatures remained within 20% free saccharide (see Table 1 ). This confirmed the manufacturer’s data, which showed the same trend in all lots, either single- or multi-dose ( Table 2 and Table 3 ). The pHs of all TCV samples were pH 6.9–7.1 at initial testing, and pH 6.6–7.2 following incubation at 40 °C or 45 °C for 3 days. 3.3. Vi Content in Stability Samples The Vi PS content of single-dose Typbar TCV samples was within specification of 20–30 µg Vi PS/SHD across all ECTC conditions (40 °C or 45 °C). The exception was 31 µg/SHD for control sample stored at 56 °C for 7 days. The high Vi PS content of 36 µg/SHD determined in multi-dose sample stored at 4 °C was an outlier, but Vi content in all ECTC samples remained within specification, with a slight decrease among both temperatures with the duration of exposure. The Vi PS content in Typbar polysaccharide vaccine increased at higher temperatures, but this was within the uncertainty of the method. A lower content was found after exposure at 56 °C for 7 days. This supplements the molecular sizing profile that indicated a deterioration in quality of the Vi PS stored at 56 °C for 7 days. All single-dose Typbar TCV and Typbar samples stored at 45 °C for 3 or 7 days were within the specification ( Table 1 ). Results from the manufacturer showed that the Vi PS contents in ECTC samples were within specification, without a trend of increase or decrease in those vaccines that were incubated in elevated temperature for different durations ( Table 2 and Table 3 ). 4. Discussion In a preliminary ECTC study, Typbar TCV was very stable following a 3-day exposure at 40 °C. Therefore, the stability of this vaccine was tested under harsher conditions (45 °C) with increased temperatures for exposure of up to 7 days, thus exceeding the WHO minimal requirement for an ECTC label claim, which is 3 days at 40 °C [ 14 ]. As sensitive stability indicators, pH and molecular sizing showed that Typbar TCV was very stable, except for samples exposed to 56 °C for 7 days, which both single- and multi-dose TCV had eluted slightly later compared with samples under other conditions, which indicated a small degree of degradation of the Vi PS polymer under such severe conditions. As expected, both the temperature and the incubation time had an impact on the percentage free saccharide for TCV. The percentage free saccharide increased at higher temperature and after a prolonged exposure. Both NIBSC and the manufacturer used a similar DOC-precipitation method to measure free saccharide from conjugates, with results of 7.7% for the single-dose and multi-dose Typbar TCV at the end of shelf-life (NIBSC analysis), which was similar to the 5.7% and 5.1% free saccharide obtained by the manufacturer at the time of release. Although the manufacturer did not include exposure at 55 °C for 7 days as a condition, both datasets remained broadly comparable. The free saccharide content of the multi-dose was also equivalent to that of the single-dose at all conditions, which suggests the volume does not play a role in degradation. Different methods to separate free saccharide from the conjugate were tested at NIBSC, including ultrafiltration, SPE Vydac C4 cartridge (W.R Grace & Co. Columbia, MD, USA), and CaptoAdhere resin (GE Healthcare, Chicago, IL, USA) [ 22 ]. Although the C4 and CaptoAdhere resins showed some promise, they were not sensitive to slight changes in stability and were not suitable for analyzing the presence of free saccharide in Vi–TT conjugates in this ECTC study. On the contrary, good comparability between laboratories was observed with the DOC precipitation method, with expected increases in free saccharide with temperature and duration of incubation. In a preliminary ECTC study at NIBSC, C. freundii Vi PS was used as a standard, and this resulted in an overestimation of the Vi PS content of the vaccine. Since then, S. Typhi Vi PS has become available as a reference [ 16 ], so this standard was subsequently used to quantify the Vi PS content in Typbar at NIBSC, and the manufacturer used an in-house Vi PS standard. Both laboratories measured similar values for the Vi PS content of Typbar TCV and Typbar stored at 4 °C. The manufacturer’s data showed Vi PS content consistent across all conditions for the five-dose vaccine and to be within specification. The O -acetyl level is critical for Vi PS vaccines and it is directly related to the immunogenicity of the vaccine [ 19 , 20 ]. Hestrin assays were used by both laboratories to determine the levels of O -acetylation. The O -acetyl content in all ECTC samples remained within the limits recommended by WHO [ 21 ], and no trend was observed when assay precision was considered. According to WHO guidelines, three lots must be evaluated for a valid ECTC study to demonstrate stability for 3 days at 40 °C. In parallel with evaluation of multiple lots by the manufacturer, the control laboratory evaluated one lot each of single- and multi-dose vaccine. The vaccine was found to be very stable, with little structural change of the Vi PS following exposure to temperatures at 40 to 45 °C for up to 7 days. Thus, we consider the quality of these vaccines to have been maintained following a single exposure at the end of shelf life. This observation should reduce vaccine wastage and greatly benefit the efficiency of the roll-out of TCV in endemic country programs. Acknowledgments The authors are very grateful to Elwyn Griffiths, Jinho Shin, Jongwon Kim, Kai Gao, and Ivana Knezevic, World Health Organization, for their encouragement and advice during the preliminary stage of this project; a special thanks to Dipankar Das for collaborations. Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Author Contributions All of the authors participated in the design and analysis of the study. Data were collected by F.G., K.L., S.D., and A.L. (NIBSC). The document was reviewed and edited by all authors, and all agreed to the published version of the manuscript and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript. Funding No external sources of funding were received. Data Availability Statement The data presented in this study are available on request from the corresponding author. Conflicts of Interest NIBSC authors declare no conflict of interest. References 1. Global Burden of Diseases 2019 Disease and Injuries Collaborators Global burden of 369 diseases and injuries in 204 countries and territories, 1990–2019: A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019 Lancet 2020 396 1204 1222 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30925-9 33069326 PMC7567026 2. Stanaway J.D. Reiner R.C. Blacker B.F. Goldberg E.M. Khalil I.A. Troeger C.E. Andrews J.R. Bhutta Z.A. Crump J.A. Im J. The global burden of typhoid and paratyphoid fevers: A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017 Lancet Infect. Dis. 2019 19 369 381 10.1016/S1473-3099(18)30685-6 30792131 PMC6437314 3. Harris J.B. Brooks W.A. Typhoid and paratyphoid (enteric) fever Hunter’s Tropical Medicine and Emerging Infectious Diseases 9th ed. Magill A.J. Ryan E.T. Hill D.R. Solomon T. Elsevier Philadelphia, PA, USA 2013 568 576 4. Wain J. Hendriksen R.S. Mikoleit M.L. Keddy K.H. Ochiai L. Typhoid fever Lancet 2015 385 1136 1145 10.1016/S0140-6736(13)62708-7 25458731 PMC11567078 5. Lanh M.N. Van Bay P. Ho V.A. Thanh T.C. Lin F.Y.C. Bryla D.A. Chu C. Schiloach J. Robbins J.B. Schneerson R. Persistent Efficacy of Vi Conjugate Vaccine against Typhoid Fever in Young Children N. Engl. J. Med. 2003 349 1390 1391 10.1056/NEJM200310023491423 14523155 6. Jin C. Gibani M. Moore M. Juel H.B. Jones E. Meiring J. Harris V. Gardner J. Nebykova A. Kerridge S.A. Efficacy and immunogenicity of a Vi-tetanus toxoid conjugate vaccine in the prevention of typhoid fever using a controlled human infection model of Salmonella Typhi : A randomised controlled, phase 2b trial Lancet 2017 390 2472 2480 10.1016/S0140-6736(17)32149-9 28965718 PMC5720597 7. Mohan V.K. Varanasi V. Singh A. Pasetti M.F. Levine M.M. Venkatesan R. Ella K.M. Safety and Immunogenicity of a Vi Polysaccharide–Tetanus Toxoid Conjugate Vaccine (Typbar-TCV) in Healthy Infants, Children, and Adults in Typhoid Endemic Areas: A Multicenter, 2-Cohort, Open-Label, Double-Blind, Randomized Controlled Phase 3 Study Clin. Infect. Dis. 2015 61 393 402 10.1093/cid/civ295 25870324 8. Sahastrabuddhe S. Saluja T. Overview of the Typhoid Conjugate Vaccine Pipeline: Current Status and Future Plans Clin. Infect. Dis. 2019 68 S22 S26 10.1093/cid/ciy884 30767002 PMC6376107 9. Typhoid Vaccines: WHO Position Paper—March 2018. Weekly Epidemiological 2 Record World Health Organization Geneva, Switzerland 2018 Volume 93 153 172 Available online: https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/272272/WER9313.pdf?ua=1,%204 (accessed on 21 May 2021) 10. Cui C. Carbis R. An S.J. Jang H. Czerkinsky C. Szu S.C. Clemens J.D. Physical and Chemical Characterization and Immunologic Properties of Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhi Capsular Polysaccharide-Diphtheria Toxoid Conjugates Clin. Vaccine Immunol. 2010 17 73 79 10.1128/CVI.00266-09 19889941 PMC2812100 11. Micoli F. Rondini S. Pisoni I. Proietti D. Berti F. Costantino P. Rappuoli R. Szu S. Saul A. Martin L. Vi-CRM197 as a new conjugate vaccine against Salmonella Typhi Vaccine 2011 29 712 720 10.1016/j.vaccine.2010.11.022 21115057 PMC4163788 12. Bazhenova A. Gao F. Bolgiano B. Harding S.E. Glycoconjugate vaccines against Salmonella enterica serovars and Shigella species: Existing and emerging methods for their analysis Biophys. Rev. 2021 13 221 246 10.1007/s12551-021-00791-z PMC8035613 33868505 13. WHO—Prequalification of Medical Products (IVDs, Medicines, Vaccines and Immunization Devices, Vector Control)—List of Prequalified Vaccines—Typbar TCV World Health Organization Geneva, Switzerland 2021 Available online: https://extranet.who.int/pqweb/content/typbar-tcv (accessed on 9 August 2021) 14. Guidelines on the Stability Evaluation of Vaccines for Use Under Extended Controlled Temperature Conditions Annex 5. WHO Technical Report Series—Number 999 World Health Organization Geneva, Switzerland 2016 Available online: https://www.who.int/biologicals/areas/vaccines/Annex_5_Guidelines_on_Stability_evaluation_vaccines_ECTC.pdf (accessed on 21 March 2021) 15. Capeding M.R. Teshome S. Saluja T. Syed K.A. Kim D.R. Park J.Y. Yang J.S. Kim Y.H. Park J. Jo S.-K. Safety and immunogenicity of a Vi-DT typhoid conjugate vaccine: Phase I trial in Healthy Filipino adults and children Vaccine 2018 36 3794 3801 10.1016/j.vaccine.2018.05.038 29776750 PMC6005168 16. Gao F. Swann C. Rigsby P. Rijpkema S. Lockyer K. Logan A. Bolgiano B. Vi IS Working Group Evaluation of two WHO First International Standards for Vi polysaccharide from Citrobacter freundii and Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serovar Typhi Biologicals 2018 57 34 45 10.1016/j.biologicals.2018.11.004 30502020 17. Lei Q.P. Shannon A.G. Heller R.K. Lamb D.H. Quantification of free polysaccharide in meningococcal polysaccharide-diphtheria toxoid conjugate vaccines Dev. Biol. 2000 103 259 264 11214246 18. Szu S.C. Li X.R. Stone A.L. Robbins J.B. Relation between structure and immunologic properties of the Vi capsular polysaccharide Infect. Immun. 1991 59 4555 4561 10.1128/iai.59.12.4555-4561.1991 1937814 PMC259077 19. Robbins J.D. Reexamination of the Protective Role of the Capsular Polysaccharide (Vi antigen) of Salmonella typhi J. Infect. Dis. 1984 150 436 449 10.1093/infdis/150.3.436 6207249 20. Landy M. Gaines S. Seal J.R. Whiteside J.E. Antibody Responses of Man to Three Types of Antityphoid Immunizing Agents: Heat-Phenol Fluid Vaccine, Acetone-Dehydrated Vaccine, and Isolated Vi and 0 Antigens Am. J. Public Health Nations Health 1954 44 1572 1579 10.2105/AJPH.44.12.1572 13207484 PMC1621025 21. Recommendations to Assure the Quality, Safety and Efficacy of Typhoid Conjugate Vaccines (Replacement of WHO Technical Report Series, No. 987, Annex 3) WHO Expert Committee on Biological Standardization: Seventy-Second and Seventy-Third Report Annex 3 (WHO Technical Report Series, No. 1030l World Health Organization Geneva, Switzerland 2020 Available online: https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/biologicals/ecbs/post-ecbs-who-tcv-recommendations-final-3-nov-2020.pdf?sfvrsn=aeecbad0_2&download=true (accessed on 9 August 2021) 22. Giannelli C. Cappelletti E. Di Benedetto R. Pippi F. Arcuri M. Di Cioccio V. Martin L. Saul A. Micoli F. Determination of free polysaccharide in Vi glycoconjugate vaccine against typhoid fever J. Pharm. Biomed. Anal. 2017 139 143 147 10.1016/j.jpba.2017.02.042 28282600 Figure 1 HPLC-SEC chromatograms of Typbar TCV single-dose stability samples (280 nm trace). Figure 2 HPLC-SEC chromatograms of Typbar TCV multi-dose stability samples (280 nm trace). Figure 3 HPLC-SEC chromatograms of Typbar PS vaccine stability samples (214 nm trace). microorganisms-09-01707-t001_Table 1 Table 1 Results of Typbar-TCV and Typbar samples under extended controlled-temperature conditions. Sample Storage Identity Molecular Size Free Vi Content Vi Content O -Acetyl Content Lot and age Temp Duration By ELISA Peak K D % eluting by K D = 0.5 % of total Vi PS µg/SHD by HPAEC-PAD µmole/SHD by Hestrin Typbar TCV (Single-dose) tested at 35 months +4 °C 3–7 day + 0.10 95.4 7.7 28 0.089 +45 °C 3 days + 0.09 95.9 11.4 27 0.084 +45 °C 7 days + 0.10 95.8 14.6 27 0.090 +56 °C 3 days + 0.10 96.3 13.7 28 0.097 +56 °C 7 days + 0.11 95.4 17.5 31 0.093 Typbar TCV (Multi-dose) tested at 35 months +4 °C 3–7 day + 0.13 98.8 7.7 36 0.099 +45 °C 3 days + 0.13 99.7 12.6 30 0.101 +45 °C 7 days + 0.13 99.2 13.6 28 0.096 +56 °C 3 days + 0.13 99.3 14.8 27 0.090 +56 °C 7 days + 0.14 99.6 20.4 27 0.087 Typbar PS (Single-dose) tested at 35 months +4 °C 3–7 day + 0.10 96.0 n/a 25 0.090 +45 °C 3 days + 0.09 94.3 n/a 29 0.104 +45 °C 7 days + 0.09 96.3 n/a 30 0.084 +56 °C 3 days + 0.10 94.8 n/a 30 0.093 +56 °C 7 days + 0.09 92.0 n/a 18 0.075 microorganisms-09-01707-t002_Table 2 Table 2 Results of Typbar-TCV single-dose samples under extended controlled-temperature conditions from the manufacturer. Sample Exposure O -Acetyl Content Vi Content Free Vi Content Lot no. and age Temperature Duration µmoles/SHD by Hestrin µg/SHD by Rocket % of total Vi PS 76DL16001, Day 0 +4 °C 0 day 0.093 27 4.4 76DL16001, 35 Months +40 °C 3 days 0.089 27 11.3 76DL16001, 35 Months +40 °C 7 days 0.084 26 13.5 76DL16001, 35 Months +55 °C 3 days 0.086 28 16.7 76DL16002, Day 0 +4 °C 0 day 0.098 27 5.0 76DL16002, 35 Months +40 °C 3 days 0.086 27 10.7 76DL16002, 35 Months +40 °C 7 days 0.082 28 11.8 76DL16002, 35 Months +55 °C 3 days 0.085 28 14.9 76DL16003, Day 0 +4 °C 0 day 0.095 27 4.1 76DL16003, 35 Months +40 °C 3 days 0.087 26 12.8 76DL16003, 35 Months +40 °C 7 days 0.083 27 13.7 76DL16003, 35 Months +55 °C 3 days 0.087 27 17.9 76DL16033, Day 0 +4 °C 0 day 0.085 28 5.6 76DL16033, 35 Months +40 °C 3 days 0.089 28 10.5 76DL16033, 35 Months +40 °C 7 days 0.089 29 11.2 76DL16033, 35 Months +55 °C 3 days 0.086 28 11.8 76DL16034, Day 0 +4 °C 0 day 0.073 28 4.8 76DL16034, 35 Months +40 °C 3 days 0.080 28 9.3 76DL16034, 35 Months +40 °C 7 days 0.082 28 9.8 76DL16034, 35 Months +55 °C 3 days 0.078 28 10.4 76DL16035, Day 0 +4 °C 0 day 0.081 28 5.1 76DL16035, 35 Months +40 °C 3 days 0.081 28 11.5 76DL16035, 35 Months +40 °C 7 days 0.080 28 11.9 76DL16035, 35 Months +55 °C 3 days 0.076 28 12.6 microorganisms-09-01707-t003_Table 3 Table 3 Results of Typbar-TCV multi-dose samples under extended controlled-temperature conditions from the manufacturer. Sample Exposure O -Acetyl Content Vi Content Free Vi Content Lot no. and age Temperature Duration µmoles/SHD by Hestrin µg/SHD by Rocket % of total Vi PS 76CJ16003, Day 0 +4 °C 0 day 0.098 29 5.9 76CJ16003, 35 Months +40 °C 3 days 0.097 27 10.9 76CJ16003, 35 Months +40 °C 7 days 0.096 28 11.7 76CJ16003, 35 Months +55 °C 3 days 0.095 27 11.5 76CJ16004, Day 0 +4 °C 0 day 0.104 28 4.2 76CJ16004, 35 Months +40 °C 3 days 0.099 28 12.3 76CJ16004, 35 Months +40 °C 7 days 0.098 28 12.9 76CJ16004, 35 Months +55 °C 3 days 0.098 28 12.6

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**微生物学** Microorganisms 3054 microorg 微生物 2076-2607 多学科数字出版研究所(MDPI)PMC8400138 PMC8400138.1 8400138 8400138 34442786 10.3390/microorganisms9081707 microorganisms-09-01707 1 文章 伤寒多糖结合疫苗扩展热稳定性证据 Gao Fang 1 * Lockyer Kay 1 Logan Alastair 1 Davis Sarah 1 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9428-3536 Bolgiano Barbara 1 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0389-8904 Rijpkema Sjoerd 1 Singh Gopal 2 Prasad Sai D. 2 Dondapati Samuel Pradeep 2 Sounkhla Gurbaksh Singh 2 Dozois Charles M. 学术编辑 1 英国国家生物标准与控制研究所(NIBSC),South Mimms EN6 3QG,英国;kay.lockyer@nibsc.org(K.L.);Alastair.Logan@nibsc.org(A.L.);sarah.davis8445@talktalk.net(S.D.);barbara.bolgiano@nibsc.org(B.B.);Sjoerd.Rijpkema@nibsc.org(S.R.) 2 Bharat Biotech International Limited(BBIL),海得拉巴 500078,印度;gopal3176@bharatbiotech.com(G.S.);prasadsd@bharatbiotech.com(S.D.P.);samuel2816@bharatbiotech.com(S.P.D.);gurbaksh3875@bharatbiotech.com(G.S.S.) * 通信作者:Fang.Gao@nibsc.org 11 8 2021 8 2021 9 8 388927 1707 12 7 2021 07 8 2021 11 08 2021 29 08 2021 30 08 2021 © 2021 作者。2021 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ 许可方:MDPI,瑞士巴塞尔。本文为根据知识共享署名(CC BY)许可条款和条件分发的开放获取文章(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)。

伤寒结合疫苗(TCV)在预防由肠炎沙门氏菌血清型伤寒(Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi)引起的肠热病方面在东南亚和非洲均显示出良好效果。为促进Vi荚膜多糖-破伤风类毒素结合疫苗Typbar TCV的接种工作,并使其在临用前能够在冷链之外进行运输和存储,本研究开展了扩展受控温度条件(ECTC)试验,以确认该疫苗在其保质期结束时(2–8 °C下36个月)于40 °C存放3天后的质量。疫苗生产商Bharat Biotech International Limited(BBIL)与独立的国家控制实验室(NIBSC)分别平行开展了研究,监测疫苗的各项稳定性指示参数:Vi多糖的O-乙酰化程度、多糖-蛋白结合物的完整性及其分子大小和pH值。与储存在4 °C和55或56 °C的对照样品相比,储存在40 °C和45 °C的ECTC样品显示出稳定的O-乙酰化水平和pH值;仅观察到游离糖百分比有极轻微的增加以及相应的分子大小轻微下降。用于沉淀结合多糖的去氧胆酸钠法对游离糖百分比的微小增量变化非常敏感,且与储存温度和储存时间呈正相关。本项扩展ECTC研究表明,Vi多糖和结合疫苗在长时间暴露于高温后仅发生极微小的结构变化,制剂保持稳定。这一结果支持生产商关于该疫苗可在临用前脱离冷链的ECTC声明。

肠热病 糖结合疫苗 Hestrin 稳定性

## 1. 引言

提供热稳定疫苗以控制亚洲和非洲流行地区的肠热病,将有利于各国卫生规划、国际组织和疫苗生产商。肠热病由肠炎沙门氏菌亚种血清型伤寒(S. Typhi)和副伤寒(S. Paratyphi)全身感染引起。肠热病是全球疾病负担的重要促成因素,据估计2019年S. Typhi感染病例为924万例,2017年S. Paratyphi和S. Typhi合计感染病例为1430万例,每年导致约153万例死亡[1,2]。虽然非分型沙门氏菌感染通常引起腹泻性疾病,但伤寒感染通常表现为菌血症伴发热性疾病,持续性高热和头痛为常见症状[3]。这些感染在供水和卫生条件较差的中低收入国家(LMICs)中较为常见,但可通过接种伤寒结合疫苗加以控制。疫苗接种还可打破日益加剧的抗生素耐药循环,后者正在限制多重耐药微生物流行地区治疗方案的有效性[4]。

糖结合疫苗利用包膜病原体的荚膜多糖(PS)成分与T细胞依赖性蛋白抗原表位进行共价结合,以提供长期免疫保护,已在婴幼儿、儿童和成人中成功消除多种呼吸道疾病。首个针对肠道微生物的糖结合疫苗效力证明来自将伤寒Vi多糖与铜绿假单胞菌重组外毒素A(rEPA)结合的疫苗[5]。此后,世界卫生组织(WHO)推动伤寒结合疫苗(TCV)开发的规划促进了疫苗生产计划、人体攻毒试验和田间研究的开展,最终推动了疫苗在非洲和东南亚的推广使用[6,7,8,9]。

已有多种疫苗获得许可,包括Typbar TCV(Bharat Biotech International Limited(BBIL),印度海得拉巴,2013年)、PedaTyph(BioMed,印度加济阿巴德,2008年)以及Zydus Cadila(印度艾哈迈达巴德,2017年)生产的TCV[8],这些疫苗均由来自S. Typhi的Vi多糖与破伤风类毒素(TT)结合而成,也有与白喉类毒素[10]、CRM197(交叉反应物质197,白喉毒素的无毒变体[11])和铜绿假单胞菌重组外毒素A(rEPA)等其他载体蛋白结合的疫苗[12]。Typbar TCV于2017年获得WHO预认证,意味着其质量、安全性和有效性符合WHO标准,可由联合国儿童基金会(UNICEF)采购用于全球免疫规划[13]。

为便于向疫苗接种中心供应,该疫苗还按照WHO扩展受控温度条件(ECTC)方案进行了稳定性测试[14],以确保在分销最后阶段无法保证冷链时疫苗的质量和效力。目前ECTC要求疫苗在保质期结束时,于至少40 °C条件下单次暴露至少3天后仍能表现出合适的稳定性特征。生产商可向监管机构申请延长疫苗许可(及标签),允许疫苗在临用前脱离冷链。这可为疫苗接种活动提供更大的灵活性,减少对现场基础设施的需求,这对于伤寒流行地区TCV的供应和接种而言是一个显著优势。

TCV ECTC研究所需的关键稳定性指标包括疫苗的分子大小和结合物完整性(游离Vi PS)、Vi多糖的O-乙酰化含量以及pH值[12]。在本报告中,生产商开展了正式的ECTC研究,并与控制实验室合作对疫苗的热稳定性进行了独立评估。在2015–2016年期间,BBIL与英国国家控制实验室——国家生物标准与控制研究所(NIBSC)合作,对TCV单剂量小瓶进行了初步ECTC协作研究(40 °C),随后又对单剂量和多剂量TCV制剂进行了进一步研究,以确认其在45 °C下的稳定性。本文报告了该研究的结果,并比较了所采用的分析方法。

## 2. 材料与方法

### 2.1. 材料

NIBSC在本研究中使用了代表单剂量和五剂量Typbar TCV(Vi-TT结合物)以及单剂量Typbar Vi多糖疫苗(作为对照)的批次。所有批次均取自接近保质期结束时(2–8 °C下36个月)的商业批次。生产商测试了6个单剂量批次和2个多剂量批次的TCV。TCV和多糖疫苗的单人份剂量(SHD)含有来自S. Typhi的Vi多糖25 ± 5 µg。多剂量小瓶中的疫苗以盐水为溶剂,含2-苯氧乙醇作为防腐剂[13]。

### 2.2. 稳定性条件

疫苗在生产后35个月(即保质期结束前一个月)经受ECTC条件。样品在40 ± 2 °C(BBIL)或45 ± 2 °C(NIBSC)下孵育3天和7天。疫苗小瓶还储存在2–8 °C(指定储存温度)和55 ± 2 °C(BBIL)或56 ± 2 °C(NIBSC)作为高温对照。暴露后,所有样品储存在2–8 °C直至进一步分析,分析在保质期结束前完成。

### 2.3. 捕获ELISA法鉴定Vi多糖

NIBSC按照Hitri等[15]的方法并稍作修改,进行了Vi多糖捕获ELISA以确定伤寒疫苗中Vi多糖的身份。将板(Nunc Maxisorp)用马抗小鼠IgG包被,并用1% w/v BSA封闭后,将TCV和多糖疫苗样品在测定缓冲液(含0.1% v/v Brij-35(Thermo Scientific,Waltham,MA,USA 20150)和1% w/v BSA的PBS)中从1:100至1:102,400进行2倍系列稀释,每孔最终体积为100 µL。板在室温下孵育1小时,洗涤后加入100 µL兔抗Vi血清(NIBSC 04/152),以1:5000稀释于测定缓冲液中,室温孵育2小时。洗涤后,加入100 µL山羊抗兔IgG-HRP(Sigma,日本川崎市),以1:10,000稀释于测定缓冲液中,室温孵育1小时,检测结合的IgG。板经显色后,在450 nm处读取光密度(OD)。使用CombiStats软件评估结合曲线。如果根据参考Vi多糖制剂(NIBSC 16/126)的剂量-反应曲线计算出的Vi多糖含量不低于40 µg/mL,且曲线与NIBSC 16/126具有可比性,无显著的平行性或线性偏离,则样品鉴定为阳性。

### 2.4. 微量Hestrin法测定O-乙酰化水平

采用Hestrin方法(药典方法)定量疫苗中Vi多糖的O-乙酰化水平。在NIBSC,按照欧洲药典2.5.19,使用微量Hestrin法[15],以溶于0.001 M醋酸钠中的氯化乙酰胆碱(Sigma A-6625,纯度不低于99%)作为标准品,浓度范围为4.125至0.055 µmol/mL。标准和样品均进行三次重复分析。根据标准曲线(µmol/mL对光密度)的线性回归得出O-乙酰基含量,以µmol O-乙酰基/mL表示,并转换为µol/SHD。测定精密度(12.0% CV)由NIBSC在两个独立测定中各运行两份不同的Vi多糖样品(各三次重复)确定,BBIL与NIBSC之间的实验室间精密度为19.6%[16]。

### 2.5. 分子大小分析

在NIBSC,使用Thermo(Dionex)ICS5000系统(配备Chromeleon软件7.2版)进行分子大小分析。将100 µL TCV或多糖疫苗注入Tosoh TSK 6000+5000 PWXL柱系列(配PWXL保护柱,Tosoh Bioscience),以PBS 'A'(10.1 mM Na₂HPO₄、1.84 mM KH₂PO₄、171 mM NaCl和3 mM KCl,pH 7.3–7.5)以0.25 mL/min流速洗脱130分钟。监测214 nm和280 nm处的紫外信号及折射率。柱温箱设定为30 °C。使用柱校准标准品的洗脱一致性作为系统适用性测试。通过沙门氏菌DNA(Sigma D1626)测定的空隙洗脱时间为47.9分钟,通过酪氨酸(Sigma T3754)测定的总柱洗脱时间为99.3分钟(紫外检测280 nm)。使用280 nm信号(TCV)和214 nm信号(多糖疫苗)确定洗脱峰的分配系数(K_D)以及在指定K_D 0.5下洗脱的百分比。在指定K_D下洗脱百分比的中间精密度为±1.0。

### 2.6. DOC沉淀法获取游离多糖

为将游离Vi多糖与Vi-TT结合物分离,采用经验证的DOC-HCl沉淀法,基于Lei等[17]的方法。将TCV用去离子水(MilliQ)稀释至10 µg Vi多糖/mL,向1 mL样品中加入100 µL 1% w/v去氧胆酸钠(DOC,Sigma D6750)(pH 6.8)以沉淀TT。样品在冰上孵育30分钟,加入50 µL 1 M HCl溶液,然后在22–23 °C下以6000×g离心15分钟。取上清液(含游离Vi多糖),样品在SpeedVac中干燥10小时后进行HPAEC-PAD分析。游离Vi多糖百分比基于测定的总Vi多糖含量计算。

### 2.7. Vi多糖含量

在NIBSC,采用高效阴离子交换色谱-脉冲安培检测法(HPAEC-PAD)测定Vi多糖含量。将2.6步骤中获得的游离Vi多糖复溶于1 mL去离子水,同时将结合疫苗以1:5稀释(总多糖含量),使用NaOH(Fisher Scientific 10050470)在110 °C下水解4小时,终浓度为2 M[11]。使用来自S. Typhi IS的同源Vi多糖(NIBSC 16/126)作为参考标准,优先于使用异源Vi多糖作为标准品[16]。将NIBSC 16/126的Vi多糖用水稀释至27至0.5 µg/mL范围。使用Thermo(Dionex)ICS5000 HPAEC-PAD系统(配Amino Trap和CarboPac PA1柱,英国Thermofisher Scientific)进行Vi多糖定量。洗脱条件为:0–2分钟,100 mM NaOH;2–22分钟,100 mM NaOH和40–150 mM NaNO₃;22–31分钟,100 mM NaOH;流速1 mL/min[11]。Vi通过脉冲安培检测器检测,脉冲电位和持续时间如下:E1 = 0.1 V,t1 = 400 ms;E2 = −2 V,t2 = 20 ms;E3 = 0.6 V,t3 = 10 ms;E4 = −0.1 V,t4 = 60 ms。使用Chromeleon软件(7.2版)编程运行和分析数据。通过将µg Vi多糖/mL乘以0.5 mL/SHD,将数据转换为µg Vi多糖/SHD。该方法的综合不确定度(考虑方法精密度和参考标准不确定度)为±1.407 µg/剂。

在BBIL,采用基于Szu等[18]的火箭免疫电泳法测定Vi多糖含量,使用0.5至1.25 µg Vi的多糖标准品和抗Vi血清(兔多克隆抗体,BD Difco)进行检测。详见Gao等[16]。

### 2.8. pH值测定

在室温下使用经pH 4、7和10缓冲液校准的pH计测定样品pH值。NIBSC的pH值精确至±0.075 pH单位,BBIL精确至±0.05 pH单位。

## 3. 结果

### 3.1. 多糖质量

Vi多糖的O-乙酰化是产生保护性免疫应答所必需的[19,20],且对pH和温度的极端条件敏感。在稳定性研究期间,单剂量或多剂量小瓶中均未观察到O-乙酰化水平下降的迹象。生产商在初始放行时与控制实验室在保质期结束时测得的O-乙酰化水平相似(p = 0.169)(表1、表2和表3)。ECTC样品中的O-乙酰基水平无变化趋势,且均高于WHO推荐的最低限[21]。

### 3.2. 结合物完整性

两个批次TCV的分子大小分布在两种孵育温度和两种持续时间下均相似,除了在56 °C储存7天的TCV洗脱峰略有延迟外(图1和图2,UV 280 nm)。在分配系数K_D = 0.5时,单剂量制剂主峰在指定K_D下的洗脱率为95.4%至96.3%,多剂量TCV主峰为97.9%至99.0%。多糖疫苗在56 °C储存后Vi多糖在K_D = 0.5下的洗脱率(92.0%)低于4 °C储存的疫苗(96.3%)(表1和图3,UV 214 nm)。

使用NIBSC的DOC-HPAEC-PAD方法,单剂量和多剂量TCV在45 °C和56 °C储存3天或7天后的游离糖百分比均高于4 °C储存的疫苗(表1)。游离糖含量随温度升高和暴露时间延长而增加,且与保质期结束时(2–8 °C)检测到的8%游离糖含量一致。变化呈增量性,取决于温度和孵育时间。在56 °C下3天后,游离糖分别上升至11%和13%;在45 °C下7天后,单剂量和多剂量的游离糖分别增加至15%和14%。在56 °C下储存3天的样品与在45 °C下储存7天的样品相当,而在56 °C下储存7天后,单剂量和多剂量的游离糖分别上升至18%和20%。所有暴露于高温的样品游离糖含量均保持在20%以内(见表1)。这证实了生产商的数据,该数据显示所有批次(单剂量或多剂量)均呈现相同趋势(表2和表3)。

所有TCV样品在初始测试时的pH值为6.9–7.1,在40 °C或45 °C孵育3天后的pH值为6.6–7.2。

### 3.3. 稳定性样品中的Vi含量

单剂量Typbar TCV样品中的Vi多糖含量在所有ECTC条件(40 °C或45 °C)下均在20–30 µg Vi多糖/SHD的规格范围内。例外情况是在56 °C下储存7天的对照样品为31 µg/SHD。多剂量样品在4 °C储存时测得的Vi多糖含量为36 µg/SHD,属于异常值,但所有ECTC样品中的Vi含量均在规格范围内,且随着暴露时间的延长,两种温度下均略有下降。Typbar多糖疫苗中的Vi多糖含量在较高温度下有所增加,但在方法不确定度范围内。在56 °C暴露7天后发现含量较低。这补充了分子大小分布结果,表明在56 °C下储存7天的Vi多糖质量出现下降。所有在45 °C下储存3天或7天的单剂量Typbar TCV和Typbar样品均在规格范围内(表1)。

生产商的结果显示,ECTC样品中的Vi多糖含量均在规格范围内,在不同高温下孵育不同持续时间的疫苗中未观察到增加或减少的趋势(表2和表3)。

## 4. 讨论

在初步ECTC研究中,Typbar TCV在40 °C暴露3天后表现出极高的稳定性。因此,本研究在更严苛的条件(45 °C)下测试了该疫苗的稳定性,暴露温度升高且持续时间延长至7天,超过了WHO对ECTC标签声明的最低要求(40 °C下3天)[14]。

作为灵敏的稳定性指标,pH值和分子大小分析显示Typbar TCV非常稳定,除了在56 °C下暴露7天的样品外——单剂量和多剂量TCV的洗脱时间均略晚于其他条件下的样品,表明在此严苛条件下Vi多糖聚合物发生了轻微降解。

如预期,温度和孵育时间均对TCV的游离糖百分比产生影响。游离糖百分比在较高温度和较长暴露时间后增加。NIBSC和生产商均使用类似的DOC沉淀法测定结合物中的游离糖,结果显示单剂量和多剂量Typbar TCV在保质期结束时的游离糖含量分别为7.7%(NIBSC分析),与生产商在放行时获得的5.7%和5.1%游离糖含量相近。尽管生产商未将56 °C暴露7天作为条件纳入,但两组数据总体上仍具有可比性。多剂量在所有条件下的游离糖含量也与单剂量相当,表明体积不影响降解。

NIBSC测试了多种从结合物中分离游离糖的方法,包括超滤、SPE Vydac C4柱(W.R Grace & Co.,Columbia,MD,USA)和CaptoAdhere树脂(GE Healthcare,Chicago,IL,USA)[22]。尽管C4和CaptoAdhear树脂显示出一定前景,但对稳定性变化的灵敏度不足,不适用于本ECTC研究中Vi-TT结合物中游离糖的分析。相反,DOC沉淀法在实验室间显示出良好的可比性,游离糖随温度和孵育时间的增加而增加,与预期一致。

在NIBSC的初步ECTC研究中,使用了C. freundii Vi多糖作为标准品,导致疫苗Vi多糖含量被高估。此后,S. Typhi Vi多糖作为参考标准已可获得[16],因此NIBSC随后使用该标准品对Typbar中的Vi多糖含量进行定量,而生产商则使用内部Vi多糖标准品。两家实验室对储存在4 °C的Typbar TCV和Typbar的Vi多糖含量测得值相近。生产商的数据显示,五剂量疫苗在所有条件下的Vi多糖含量一致且在规格范围内。

O-乙酰基水平对Vi多糖疫苗至关重要,且与疫苗的免疫原性直接相关[19,20]。两家实验室均采用Hestrin法测定O-乙酰化水平。所有ECTC样品中的O-乙酰基含量均保持在WHO推荐的限值内[21],且在考虑测定精密度后未观察到变化趋势。

根据WHO指南,有效的ECTC研究必须评估三个批次以证明在40 °C下3天的稳定性。在对生产商评估多个批次的同时,控制实验室各评估了一个单剂量和一个多剂量疫苗批次。结果表明疫苗非常稳定,Vi多糖在暴露于40至45 °C长达7天后仅发生极微小的结构变化。因此,我们认为这些疫苗在保质期结束时经单次暴露后质量得以保持。这一发现应能减少疫苗浪费,并极大地促进TCV在流行国家规划中的推广效率。

## 致谢

作者非常感谢世界卫生组织(WHO)的Elwyn Griffiths、Jinho Shin、Jongwon Kai Gao和Ivana Knezevic在本项目初期阶段给予的鼓励和建议;特别感谢Dipankar Das的合作。

**出版商声明:** MDPI对已出版地图和机构隶属关系中的管辖权主张保持中立。

## 作者贡献

所有作者均参与了本研究的设计和分析。数据由F.G.、K.L.、S.D.和A.L.(NIBSC)收集。所有作者审阅并编辑了文稿,同意文稿的发表版本,并同意对工作的各个方面负责,确保与工作任何部分的准确性或完整性相关的问题得到适当调查。所有作者均已阅读并同意文稿的发表版本。

## 资助

未接受外部资金来源。

## 数据可用性声明

本研究中提供的数据可向通讯作者索取获得。

## 利益冲突

NIBSC作者声明无利益冲突。