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8.9
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Vaccines
Special Issues
Effectiveness and Safety of Vaccines in Special Populations
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Effectiveness and Safety of Vaccines in Special Populations

A special issue of Vaccines (ISSN 2076-393X). This special issue belongs to the section "Vaccine Efficacy and Safety".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2026 | Viewed by 1967

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Justyna Dominika Kowalska

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Adults' Infectious Diseases, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
Interests: key populations; pregnancy; ageing; immune suppression; vaccination
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Arjan Harxhi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Infectious Disease, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Tirana, 1000 Tirana, Albania
Interests: HIV; opportunistic infections; hepatitis; STI; care; mortality

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Vaccines are the most effective tool in combating epidemics and reducing disease. We have seen significant advancements in the development of vaccines, especially during the recent SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. However, clinical trials sometimes do not include particular populations such as pregnant women, the elderly, people living with HIV, and those at high risk of infection due to various factors. Additionally, individuals with limited access to healthcare due to geographical or economic barriers are often not included in these trials, and lactating women may also be omitted from clinical studies. We are inviting original submissions of research, viewpoints, and commentaries to this Special Issue which aims to collect recent evidence on the efficacy and safety of different vaccines in specific populations. We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Justyna Dominika Kowalska
Prof. Dr. Arjan Harxhi
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Vaccines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • vaccines
  • special populations
  • HIV
  • pregnancy
  • migrants

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 358 KiB  
Article
Vaccine-Induced Humoral and Cellular Response to SARS-CoV-2 in Multiple Sclerosis Patients on Ocrelizumab
by Jelena Drulovic, Olivera Tamas, Neda Nikolovski, Nikola Momcilovic, Vanja Radisic, Marko Andabaka, Bojan Jevtic, Goran Stegnjaic, Milica Lazarevic, Nikola Veselinovic, Maja Budimkic, Sarlota Mesaros, Djordje Miljkovic and Tatjana Pekmezovic
Vaccines 2025, 13(5), 488; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines13050488 - 30 Apr 2025
Viewed by 100
Abstract
Background/Objectives: The aim of our study was to investigate B cell and T cell responses in people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) treated with ocrelizumab, a humanized anti-CD20 antibody, who were vaccinated with second and/or booster doses of various vaccine brands against COVID-19. [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: The aim of our study was to investigate B cell and T cell responses in people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) treated with ocrelizumab, a humanized anti-CD20 antibody, who were vaccinated with second and/or booster doses of various vaccine brands against COVID-19. Additionally, we detected the outcomes related to COVID-19 in PwMS after vaccination, based on follow-up for at least 12 months. Methods: We enrolled 91 PwMS on ocrelizumab and 42 healthy controls (HCs) in a prospective, single-center study, conducted at the Clinic of Neurology, UCCS, between January 2022 and October 2024. The serological responses were measured using the spike receptor-binding domain (RBD) Architect SARS-CoV-2 IgG Quant kit (Abbot), and cellular responses were measured by quantifying IFN-γ secretion in blood incubated with SARS-CoV-2 antigens. Results: A total of 58.2% (53/91) of PwMS on ocrelizumab and 100% of the HCs (42/42) were seropositive after a second or booster vaccination (p < 0.001), irrespective of the vaccine brand received. Anti-spike antibody levels were significantly lower in PwMS on ocrelizumab compared to the HCs (p < 0.001), again irrespective of the vaccine type. Interferon-γ responses were detected in 95.6% of the PwMS receiving ocrelizumab therapy and 97.6% of HCs after vaccination (p = 0.570). In our cohort, PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infections after vaccination occurred in a similar proportion of the PwMS (45/91, 49.5%) and HCs (15/32, 46.9%) (p = 0.139). Most of the PwMS (36/45, 79.2%) and HCs (13/15, 87.8%) had COVID-19 of mild severity. Conclusions: PwMS treated with ocrelizumab developed diminished humoral and robust cellular responses following two and three SARS-CoV-2 vaccinations. The obtained immunity after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination may translate into lower incidence and severity of COVID-19. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effectiveness and Safety of Vaccines in Special Populations)
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12 pages, 255 KiB  
Article
Potential Association between Shift Work and Serologic Response to Hepatitis B Vaccination among Manufacturing Workers in Republic of Korea
by Si-Ho Kim and Chang-Ho Chae
Vaccines 2024, 12(9), 1041; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines12091041 - 11 Sep 2024
Viewed by 1273
Abstract
(1) Background: Shift work can affect physical health and the immune system by altering the body’s circadian rhythms. This study investigated the factors associated with the hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination response in manufacturing workers, classified by whether they engaged in shift work [...] Read more.
(1) Background: Shift work can affect physical health and the immune system by altering the body’s circadian rhythms. This study investigated the factors associated with the hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination response in manufacturing workers, classified by whether they engaged in shift work or not. (2) Methods: This retrospective observational study was conducted among adults employed at two manufacturing companies. Those with negative initial hepatitis B surface antibody (HBsAb) levels before vaccination and who subsequently received a three-dose series of HBV vaccine were enrolled. Hepatitis B surface antibodies were examined for 3 years after the first dose. The endpoint of this study was the failure of a seroprotective anti-HB response after vaccination (HBsAb < 10 mIU/mL). Binary logistic regression models were used to analyze factors associated with response failures. (3) Results: Of the 1103 eligible subjects, 337 (30.6%) were shift workers. The failure rate was numerically higher in the shift workers (9.2%) than in the non-shift workers (7.9%), without statistical significance (p = 0.405). However, after adjustment with the binary logistic regression models, the shift workers had a statistically significantly higher rate of response failures than the non-shift workers (odds ratio 2.87; 95% confidence interval 1.64–5.05, p < 0.001), as did males, older workers, those with a low initial anti-HB titer, those with a vitamin D deficiency, and current smokers. (4) Conclusions: Our findings suggest a possible association between shift work and the serologic responses to HBV vaccination. Novel strategies for vaccination should be considered for shift workers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effectiveness and Safety of Vaccines in Special Populations)
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