Pentacel Vaccine Components
Pentacel (DTaP-IPV/Hib) is a pentavalent combination vaccine containing diphtheria and tetanus toxoids, five acellular pertussis antigens, inactivated poliovirus types 1-3, and Haemophilus influenzae type b conjugate vaccine. 1
Specific Antigens and Components
Pertussis Component (Acellular)
Pentacel contains five pertussis antigens 1:
- Inactivated pertussis toxin (PT) 1
- Filamentous hemagglutinin (FHA) 1
- Pertactin (PRN) 1
- Fimbriae types 2 and 3 1
Poliovirus Component
- Inactivated poliovirus types 1,2, and 3 - same strains as IPOL vaccine 1
Haemophilus influenzae type b Component
Diphtheria and Tetanus Components
Formulation Characteristics
Pentacel is a fully liquid formulation that requires reconstitution - the Hib component is lyophilized and must be reconstituted with the liquid DTaP-IPV component before administration 4, 5. This distinguishes it from some newer hexavalent vaccines that are fully liquid 1.
Clinical Context
Pentacel has been used extensively in Canada for over 10 years and was the first DTaP-based vaccine approved in the US that includes both poliovirus and Hib antigens 3. The vaccine demonstrates high immunogenicity across all component antigens, with seroprotection rates of 97-99% for anti-PRP antibodies and approximately 95% for other components 2, 5.
The safety profile shows low reactogenicity with fewer injection-site reactions compared to separately administered vaccines 2, 6. Studies demonstrate that DTaP-IPV/Hib combination vaccination results in significantly lower adverse event reporting rates (66.9/million doses) compared to separate administration of DTaP+IPV+Hib vaccines (637.8/million doses) 6.