Marilynn Culbreth

Dr. Marilynn Culbreth

Armed forces

Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

8Years (2019-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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3 December 2019 in Vaccines
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
Marilynn CulbrethMarilynn Culbreth
Marilynn Culbreth
SBSergei S. Biryukov
Sergei S. Biryukov
JSJennifer L. Shoe
Jennifer L. Shoe
JDJennifer L. Dankmeyer
Jennifer L. Dankmeyer
MHMelissa Hunter
Melissa Hunter
CCChristopher K. Cote
Christopher K. Cote
The administration of antipyretic analgesics prior to, in conjunction with, or due to sequelae associated with vaccination is a common yet somewhat controversial practice. In the context of human vaccination, it is unclear if even short-term analgesic regimens can significantly alter the resulting immune response, as literature exists to support several scenarios including substantial immune interference. In this report, we used a live attenuated Yersinia pestis vaccine to examine the impact of analgesic administration on the immune response elicited by a single dose of a live bacterial vaccine in mice. Mice were assessed by evaluating natural and provoked behavior, as well as food and water consumption. The resulting immune responses were assessed by determining antibody titers against multiple antigens and assaying cellular responses in stimulated splenocytes collected from vaccinated animals. We observed no substantial benefit to the mice associated with the analgesic administration. Splenocytes from both C57BL/6 and BALB/c vaccinated mice receiving acetaminophen have a significantly reduced interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) recall response. Additionally, there is a significantly lower immunoglobulin (Ig)G2a/IgG1 ratio in vaccinated BALB/c mice treated with either acetaminophen or meloxicam and a significantly lower IgG2c/IgG1 ratio in vaccinated C57BL/6 mice treated with acetaminophen. Taken together, our data indicate that the use of analgesics, while possibly ethically warranted, may hinder the accurate characterization and evaluation of novel vaccine strategies with little to no appreciable benefits to the vaccinated mice.