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The first meningococcal polysaccharide vaccine, used to protect U.S. military recruits in the late 1960s, contained the capsular polysaccharide antigens for serogroups A and C. In 1981, a commercial product (Menomune; MPSV4) was produced with polysaccharide antigens of serogroups A, C, Y, and W-135. This vaccine has had wide use in the military and limited use among civilians, most recently to protect dormitory-dwelling college students. It is not effective for children <2 years old because response is T-cell–independent.
Menactra (MCV4; Sanofi Pasteur) is a tetravalent protein-polysaccharide conjugate vaccine. Like conjugate vaccines for Haemophilus influenzae and Streptococcus pneumoniae, it is a T-cell–dependent immunogen, whic…