Rotavirus Vaccine Is Effective Against Rotavirus Gastroenteritis Resulting in Outpatient Care: Results From the Medically Attended Acute Gastroenteritis (MAAGE) Study

• Published in: Clinical infectious diseases 2021-06, Vol.72 (11), p.2000-2005
• Main Authors: Burke, Rachel M, Groom, Holly C, Naleway, Allison L, Katz, Eric M, Salas, Bianca, Mattison, Claire P, Donald, Judy, Tsaknaridis, Laura, Biggs, Christianne, Bowen, Michael D, Tate, Jacqueline E, Parashar, Umesh D, Schmidt, Mark, Hall, Aron J
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1058-4838; 1537-6591
• DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciaa466

Abstract Background Rotavirus is a common cause of severe pediatric acute gastroenteritis. Two vaccines are licensed in the United States and have demonstrated high effectiveness against moderate to severe disease. However, fewer data are available on rotavirus vaccine effectiveness (VE) against milder disease. Methods We leveraged active surveillance data from Kaiser Permanente Northwest to calculate rotavirus VE against medically attended rotavirus illness among age-eligible children. We utilized a test-negative case-control design and applied 4 distinct case definitions based on reverse transcription–quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) assay and enzyme immunoassay (EIA) test results. VE was calculated as 100 × (1 − odds ratio), and models were adjusted for age group. Results The VE analysis population comprised 842 children, 799 (95%) of whom had mild disease requiring at most a clinic visit and 698 (83%) of whom were fully vaccinated against rotavirus. Age-adjusted VE was 70% (95% confidence interval [CI], 37–86%) against disease defined solely by qRT-PCR results, 72% (95% CI, 31–89%) against disease as defined by qRT-PCR with a quantification cycle (C q ) value