Meningitis Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Meningitis, including details on viral, bacterial, spinal, symptoms, treatment.

A comparative study of the incidence of aseptic meningitis in symptomatic natural mumps patients and monovalent mumps vaccine recipients in Japan.

Nagai T, Okafuji T, Miyazaki C, Ito Y, Kamada M, Kumagai T, Yuri K, Sakiyama H, Miyata A, Ihara T, Ochiai H, Shimomura K, Suzuki E, Torigoe S, Igarashi M, Kase T, Okuno Y, Nakayama T

Vaccine Study Group of the Society of Ambulatory and General Pediatrics of Japan, Takamatsu 760-0002, Japan. t-nagai@mail.netwave.or.jp

To compare the incidence of aseptic meningitis associated with symptomatic natural mumps infection and in mumps vaccine recipients, we conducted a prospective comparative study. Consecutive samples of 1051 children with mumps were enrolled by 10 pediatricians and 21,465 vaccine recipients by 143 pediatric primary care practitioners, from January 1, 2000 to January 1, 2003. Parents used a daily diary to record symptoms during the period of illness (15 days) or 30-day period following immunization. Mumps infection was confirmed by virus isolation and/or detection of mumps virus genome in salivary and CSF samples. The incidence of aseptic meningitis was 13/1051 (1.24%) in patients with symptomatic natural mumps infection and was estimated to be 0.7-1.1% of overall infection in considering asymptomatic infection, and 10/21,465 (0.05%) in vaccine recipients. Although aseptic meningitis is a clear side effect of the mumps vaccine, the incidence is considerably lower than among those with symptomatic natural infection. Our results provide an informative data for consideration to resume mumps vaccine as a part of routine immunization schedule for Japanese children.

Published 19 March 2007 in Vaccine, 25(14): 2742-7.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

© 2004-2008 Meningitis Research Today. All Rights Reserved.