THURSDAY, Oct. 27 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will stop providing botulinum toxoid (PBT) for the vaccination of people whose occupations put them at risk for exposure to botulinum serotypes A, B, C, D, and E, according to a report published in the Oct. 28 issue of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Under a New Investigational Drug (IND) application, PBT has been available through the CDC since 1965 for non-research use in those whose work may put them in contact with botulinum toxin or neurotoxin-producing species of Clostridium.
The decision to discontinue offering the investigational vaccine was based on current data suggesting a decline in immunogenicity of some toxin serotypes, possibly related to the fact that the available vaccine was manufactured more than 30 years ago. Furthermore, the incidence of moderate local reactions to annual booster doses, first noted about 20 years ago, has been increasing.
According to the CDC, "on average, approximately 200 to 300 persons received PBT annually during 2008 to 2010 under the CDC-sponsored IND for PBT. To allow recent vaccinees to complete the primary series, the IND will remain in effect through May 31, 2012."
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