Vaccine against acute bronchiolitis

Question

Hello. My daughter monthly receives vaccine against bronchiolitis. Why some CF centres recommend this treatment and others don’t? Sincerely.

Answer

Hello and thanks for your question. Acute bronchiolitis is a viral disease afflicting infants. There is no available vaccine, and your daughter receives humanized antibodies (palivizumab) against the main virus responsible for acute bronchiolitis, so-called respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Because of its cost, in France, this treatment is only reserved to ex-premature infants, particularly those who have had a long-term oxygen therapy, and to infants with a cardiac defect and a planned surgery. In these children, the preventive treatment induces a 50% decrease in hospitalization rate when an acute viral bronchiolitis occurs. In cystic fibrosis the problem is more complex. Some studies show that having an acute viral bronchiolitis increases the risk of bronchial colonization with germs such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa. On the other hand, the alone controlled study conducted on palivizumab in CF infants doesn’t demonstrate any immediate or long-term positive effect. That’s why the medical management may be different from one CF centre to another one.
I hope to have responded to your question. With my best regards.
Prof Jean-Christophe Dubus

27.02.2012