FRIDAY, June 22, 2007 (HealthDay News) -- U.S. researchers say they've spotted eight common genetic variations linked to susceptibility to fever following smallpox vaccination.
The findings might help lead to a genetic test that can identify people who are at increased risk for developing vaccine-related fevers, said a team from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. This kind of test may also help doctors predict and prevent more serious vaccine-related complications.
Most of the genetic variations found by the team increase the likelihood of fever, but some reduce the risk. The study is the first to link individual genetic differences with a vaccine-related complication.
The researchers said their findings raise the possibility that these same genetic variations may also influence fever risk after other live-virus vaccines, including the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine given to children. Fever is a common side effect of the MMR vaccine.
In most cases, vaccine-related fevers do not pose a serious threat. However, some people who get a fever after receiving the smallpox vaccine develop myopericarditis, a dangerous inflammation of the heart muscle or sac surrounding the heart. And some children who get a fever after the MMR vaccine develop seizures.
"We don't know whether the same genetic variations we identified in our study are also linked to more serious vaccine complications, but our study raises that possibility. I think this study will point us in that direction in terms of looking for genetic alterations that predict more serious complications," lead author Dr. Samuel Stanley Jr., vice chancellor of research at Washington University and a professor of medicine and microbiology, said in a prepared statement.
The findings were published online and are expected to be in the July 15 print issue of the Journal of Infectious Diseases.
More information
The MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia has more about vaccine reaction.
