Vaccine Abbreviations

ELEMENTARY  TREATISE ON  CHEMISTRY, PRESENTED IN A NEW ORDER AND ACCORDING TO  MODERN  DISCOVERIES   1789, Paris (Translation by Robert Kerr, Edinburgh, 1790; Dover facsimile edition, 1965)

The impossibility of separating the nomenclature of a science from the science itself, is owing to this, that every branch of physical science must consist of three things; the series of facts which are the objects of the science, the ideas which represent these facts, and the words by which these ideas are expressed.      Like three impressions of the same seal, the word ought to produce the idea, and the idea to be a picture of the fact.  And, as ideas are preserved and communicated by means of words, it necessarily follows that we cannot improve the language of any science without at the same time improving the science itself; neither can we, on the other hand, improve a science, without improving the language or nomenclature which belongs to it.  . . .      A salt, though compounded of the same three principles, may, nevertheless, by the mere difference of their proportion, be in three different states.  The nomenclature we have adopted would have been defective, had it not expressed these different states; and this we attained chiefly by changes of termination uniformly applied to the same state of the different salts.  In short, we have advanced so far, that from the name alone may be instantly found what the combustible substance is which enters into any combination . . .  .      It may be easily supposed that it was not possible to attain all these different objects without departing, in some instances, from established custom, and adopting terms which at first sight will appear uncouth and barbarous.  But we considered that the ear is soon habituated to new words, especially when they are connected with a general and rational system.   . . .      When we published our essay on the nomenclature of chemistry, we were reproached for having changed the language which was spoken by our masters, which they distinguished by their authority, and handed down to us.  . . .  I shall conclude this preface by transcribing, literally, some observations of the Abbé de Condillac . . .  .  "But, after all, the sciences have made progress, because philosophers have applied themselves with more attention to observe, and have communicated to their language that precision and accuracy which they have employed in their observations: In correcting their language they reason better."   --  Antoine Laurent Lavoisier

(updated 2003-Nov-12)

The following nomenclature of abbreviations for past, current, and future human vaccines are a proposed standard in order to facilitate accuracy, consistency, and convenience, and to avoid errors and ambiguity, in vaccine labeling, medical practice, record keeping, written communications, and scientific publications.

 1.  EUROPEAN PRECEDENTS
 2.  PRINCIPAL MAIN ROOT FORMAT
 3.  NAMING PRINCIPLES
            Disease/agent representation
            Intuitiveness
            Specificity
            Consistency
            Significance
 4.  NON-CONFORMING EXCEPTIONS
 5.  SPECIFIERS AS SUBSCRIPTS
            Specifier dashes
            Specifier legibility
            Subscripting alternatives
            Data entry screen display
            Omitting subscript specifiers
 6.  VECTORED VACCINES
 7.  BOLDFACING RECOMMENDED
 8.  DISTINGUISHING VACCINE FROM AGENT OR DISEASE
 9.  COMBINATION VACCINE NOTATION
10.  LISTING SEQUENCE OF COMBINATION ANTIGENS
            Grandfathered combinations
            New additions to existing combinations
            Multiple newly-added antigens
            New combinations
11.  SIMULTANEOUS VACCINATION NOTATION
12.  AMBIGUOUS AND ILLEGIBLE CONJUNCTIONS
13.  USER FLEXIBILITY
            Conjugate used
            Serotypes and seed strains
            Valency
            Manufacturer
14.  ORDER OF MULTIPLE SUBSCRIPTS
15.  ABBREVIATION TABLE
16.  Resource Links

These abbreviations are promulgated on the following rationale and guidelines:

1. EUROPEAN PRECEDENTS.  To facilitate universality, the format builds upon and harmonizes as feasibly as practical with a vaccine abbreviation nomenclature (Vaccine, 2000;18:1539-1542) developed by a drafting group [PA/PH/OMCL (97) 43, R] of the European Network of Official Medicines Control Laboratories of the European Department for the Quality of Medicines of the Council of Europe.  Also adopted are some suggestions by Perry and Parish a half-century ago, despite different meanings assigned to a few shared homonymous abbreviations (Abbreviated titles for serological products, British Medical Journal, 7 July 1956;2:38-39).  
   
   The only unharmonized abbreviations for which the main root differs between the VISI and European proposals are for vaccines to prevent:
           a.  adenovirus (VISI = ADE ;  Eur = ADV)
           b.  cholera (VISI = CHO_o and CHO_i; Eur = oraCOL and CHI, respectively)
           c.  Escherichia coli disease (VISI = ECO ;  Eur = ECT)
           d.  Lyme disease/borreliosis (VISI = LYM ;  Eur = BOR)
           e.  measles, mumps, and rubella (VISI = MMR ;  Eur = MEA-MUM-RUB)
           f.  typhoid (VISI = TYD ; Eur = TYP)
     
   Also, in contrast to VISI, the European proposal has only three specifiers -- lowercase but not subscripted -- which precede the main root they modify:  "ora" (for oral), "a" (acellular), and "w" (whole cell).    [return to index at top]
     

2. PRINCIPAL MAIN ROOT FORMAT.  In general, VISI abbreviations begin with a main root of three letters in capitals (uppercase) for each disease prevented by the vaccine (e.g.,  HAV, HBV, HIB, INF, MEA, MEN, MUM, PNU, RAB, RUB, VAR,  & YEL).  Different vaccines to prevent the same disease should share the same main root.  For many purposes, no additional characters are necessary beyond the main root.   [return to index at top]  

3. NAMING PRINCIPLES.  In deriving a main root abbreviation for a new vaccine, or selecting from among diverse abbreviations in current use for an existing vaccine, the choice should try to satisfy as many as possible of the following:  

   • Disease/agent representation.  The abbreviation should use the first three letters (first choice), or key consonants (second choice), or initial letters of multiple words (third choice) of the name of the disease or its pathogenic agent.   [return to index at top]
       

   • Intuitiveness.  The abbreviation should represent as intuitively as possible to a general audience the name of the disease or its pathogenic agent.  For example, TUB for new tuberculosis vaccines not containing Bacille Calmette-Guérin, and ANT (rather than "AVA") for anthrax vaccine.   [return to index at top]
        

   • Specificity.  The abbreviation should enhance specificity and avoid confusion for other vaccines (obsolete, existing, or anticipated) with similar names.  If possible, letters should be selected from the disease or organism name that distinguish it from similarly-named vaccines.  For example, both rabies vaccine and rotavirus vaccine have been abbreviated as "RV" or "Rv" in the literature.  To avoid ambiguity, these vaccines are abbreviated RAB and ROT to distinguish them.  "BRU" is avoided for either brucellosis or Brugia malayi vaccines; instead BRC and BRG are used, respectively.  In choosing an abbreviation for leptospirosis vaccine, LPT is selected instead of "LPS" to avoid confusion with leprosy vaccine (LPR), which has no "T".  HNT is used to abbreviate hantaan (hantavirus) vaccine, instead of "HAN", to avoid confusion with Hansen's disease (leprosy).  "MEL" is avoided for either melanoma or melioidosis vaccines; instead MLN and MLD are used, respectively.  "TYP" is avoided for either typhoid or the typhus vaccines; instead TYD, TPL, TPM, and TPS are used.  [return to index at top]
       

   • Consistency.  The abbreviation should use a common format for current or future vaccines with parallel disease or etiologic agent names.  For example, among formats in current usage to abbreviate the viral hepatitides, such as "HepX", "Hep X", "HX", and "HXV", the last is selected (e.g., HAV and HBV) and should be used for future abbreviations HCV, HDV, HEV,  and HGV  for hepatitis C, D, E, and G, respectively.  [return to index at top]
         

   • Significance.  The use of the letter "V" to represent "vaccine" or "virus" is superfluous and should be avoided in order to maximize for future use the meaning that may be conveyed by only three characters in the root abbreviation.  "V" should be accepted only in well-established abbreviations for etiologic agents or vaccines, such as for HAV, HBV, HIV, HSV, RSV, and grandfathered alternatives IPV and OPV.   [return to index at top] 
     

4. NON-CONFORMING EXCEPTIONS.  Several long-established, well-recognized, and widely-accepted abbreviations which would otherwise not satisfy the format style, are incorporated on a "grandfather" basis and indicated by asterisks (*) in the table below.  The parentheses following these grandfathered abbreviations illustrate hypothetically what otherwise would have been the conforming format:  BCG (TUB_BCG),  DT (DIP-TET),  DTP (DIP-PER-TET),  IG (IMG),  QF (QFE),  MMR (MEA-MUM-RUB),  Td (DIP_r-TET),  and TT (TET).  In the case of polio vaccines, the abbreviations POL_IPV and POL_OPV are accompanied by alternatives IPV and OPV, respectively, which may be used as grandfathered equivalents.  [return to index at top]
     

5. SPECIFIERS AS SUBSCRIPTS.  If necessary or desired to distinguish different vaccines for the same disease, subscripted specifiers are used after the capitalized main roots (e.g., DTP_w, DTP_a, HIB_HbOC, HIB_PRP-T, PNU_ps,  PNU_cn, RAB_HDCV,  and RAB_PCEC).  Subscripting follows the long tradition of chemical abbreviation, developed centuries ago by Lavoisier , Guyton de Morveau , and Berzelius , and which is understood by schoolchildren everywhere ("H₂O", "CO₂").  The case used for the specifier (lowercase or CAPITALS, or mixed) should correspond to the usual style in current practice for such designations (E.g., LYM_ospA, RAB_FRhL-2, TYD_AKD, TYD_Vi).  If no style is established, then lowercase is preferred.  If a vector also happens to be a vaccine agent with a root abbreviation of its own, then the subscripted specifier should be the vaccine's root abbreviation in caps (e.g., HIV_rvVEE).  Multiple specifiers may be used in a single abbreviation to convey various kinds of information about the vaccine (see USER FLEXIBILITY below).  Examples of specifiers that may be used are:    [return to index at top]
     

   AAAspecifier	Meaning
   AAAa	acellular; or attenuated (live)
   AAAad	adsorbed
   AAAatx	antitoxin
   AAAav	antivenin
   AAAA , AAAB	A or B, etc., serogroup, serotype, type, etc.
   AAAc	central, or Central European, type or strain
   AAAcl	calf lymph
   AAAcn	conjugate
   AAAdna	deoxyribose nucleic acid
   AAAe	eastern, or European, type or strain
   AAAi	inactivated (killed)
   AAAig	immune globulin
   AAAim	intramuscular
   AAAin	intranasal
   AAAiv	intravenous
   AAALPS	lipopolysaccharide
   AAAmab	monoclonal antibody
   AAA(AVP) AAA(GSK) AAA(MRK) AAA(WYE)	manufacturer/distributor (e.g., Aventis Pasteur, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, Wyeth, etc.; see standardized manufacturer abbreviations)
   AAAn	northern, or North American, type or strain
   AAAo	oral
   AAAps	polysaccharide
   AAAr	recombinant; or reduced antigen quantity for adults (relative to pediatric quantity)
   AAArna	ribose nucleic acid
   AAArr	rhesus reassortant
   AAAs	split virion
   AAAtc	tissue culture
   AAAtxd	toxoid
   AAAv	vector, vectored vaccine
   AAAw	whole cell; or whole virion

     [return to index at top]

   • Specifier dashes.  In general, dashes or hyphens (  -  ) should be used to separate multiple specifiers conveying distinct kinds of information, such as vaccine type and valency (e.g., PNU_ps and PNU₂₃ become PNU_ps-23).  Dashes should be omitted between multiple specifiers for similar or related details about the vaccine (e.g., recombinant vector BCG designed to prevent HIV disease: HIV_rvBCG, or the protein for a conjugated vaccine: PNU_cnCRM197).  In any case, dashes within specifiers may be added or omitted at the user's discretion to improve legibility and understanding (e.g., to separate numeric types contained in a combination vaccine: HPV_11-16-18).    [return to index at top]  

   • Specifier legibility.  To improve legibility for reading subscripts in typeset publications, it is suggested to follow the common practice in notation of other scientific abbreviations (e.g., H₂O, CO₂, H₂SO₄, TCID₅₀, mm³, 3 x 10⁵, µg mL^-1, Leon 12a₁b type 3 Sabin poliovirus strain, etc.) by increasing the size and/or raising the level of subscripts from default settings.  Specifiers in word processing and typesetting software should be modified to maintain their size at ~80% to ~90% of the normal font size, rather than much smaller default sizes.  After formatting the specifier as a subscript, its size may be increased by changing its font size.  To avoid potential interference of subscripts with uppercase characters on the lines below, the subscript position setting may be changed to drop only ~15% to ~20% or less below the baseline, rather than a greater default drop percentage.  For example, in Microsoft Word® 2000, the command sequence after highlighting the specifier would be:  Format > Font > Subscript [check box under "Effects"] > Size [select point size 115% to 133% larger than current font size] > [Enter].  In Adobe Pagemaker®, the command sequence would be: Type > Character > Position: subscript > Options > Super/Subscript size: 90% > Subscript Position: 15% -to- 25% > OK. [return to index at top]
       

   • Subscripting alternatives.  If subscripting below the baseline of the main root abbreviation is not available, specifiers to distinguish different vaccines for the same disease simply may be entered in a smaller font size that still retains legibility, i.e., 80% to 90% of the size for the 3-letter main root (e.g., DTPw,  DTPa,  HIBHbOC,  HIBPRP-T,  MENps-ACYW,  PNUps-23,  PNUcn-7,  RABHDCV, and RABPCEC) (see column 2 in table).  Finally, if no text formatting is possible, as in ASCII text and database entry, then the specifiers may be typed as is, with no size or position adjustment (see column 3 in table) (e.g., DTPw,  DTPa,  HIBHbOC,  HIBPRP-T,  MENps-ACYW,  PNUps-23,  PNUcn-7,  RABHDCV,  and  RABPCEC).  [return to index at top]  

   • Data entry screen display.  Data entry software programs may be designed automatically for screen display of all characters after the third in the preferred subscripted and/or reduced-size format, and to format thus any printed output.  In such programs, keyboard entry of grandfathered two-letter main root abbreviations might be preceded by a space character to avoid misregistration (inadvertently as 3rd position) of the initial character of the specifier (should be 4th position) (e.g., ¯DT(AVP), ¯IG(BAY), ¯QF(CSL), ¯Td(SSV), ¯TT(SII), and ¯YF(AVP) ) .     [return to index at top]  

   • Omitting subscript specifiers.  Various possible subscript (or lowercase) specifiers may be omitted In situations where there is no ambiguity as to the vaccine which the root abbreviation identifies, such as HIB to indicate HIB_cn when its forerunner HIB_ps vaccine is no longer in use.  The same principle would apply to the use of only the capitalized root abbreviations for PNU_cn and MEN_cn in possible future combination vaccines (such as MEN-PNU, or  HIB-PNU) when it is anticipated only conjugated antigens would be used in such products.  Similarly, PNU₅, PNU₇, PNU₉, and PNU₁₁, may be used to indicate 5-, 7-, 9-, and 11-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccines, respectively (instead of PNU_cn-7, for example), when there is no contextual ambiguity with existing  (PNU_ps-23) or future polysaccharide vaccines (PNU_ps) which do not have these valencies.  Again, combination products containing inactivated poliovirus vaccine POL_IPV may eliminate the specifier when there is no ambiguity with the oral polio vaccine, as in HIB-PNU-POL and DTPa-HBV-POL.  [return to index at top]

     

6. VECTORED VACCINES.  Vaccines to prevent a disease (e.g., human immunodeficiency virus disease, influenza, listeriosis, or smallpox) which consist of recombinant or attenuated agents for other diseases acting as vectors or Jennerian vaccines (e.g., recombinant BCG, recombinant Listeria monocytogenes, recombinant Salmonella typhimurium, or vaccinia virus, respectively) should be assigned the root abbreviation for the disease to be prevented (e.g., HIV, INF, LIS, and SMA, respectively).  Specifiers (see below) may be appended to identify the vector or Jennerian agent used (e.g., HIV_rvBCG, INF_rvLIS,  LIS_rvSAL, and SMA_vac, respectively).   [return to index at top]

     

7. BOLDFACING RECOMMENDED.  Vaccine abbreviations should be boldfaced to enhance recognition as a vaccine abbreviation, and to distinguish them from abbreviations for etiologic agents and disease, unless contravened by the style guidelines of the publication.    [return to index at top]   




8. DISTINGUISHING VACCINE FROM AGENT OR DISEASE.  There are occasions when documents will need to distinguish between etiologic agents or disease names and the vaccines which prevent them.  By design, abbreviations for vaccines will often be the same as abbreviations for the associated etiologic agent (e.g., hepatitis B virus, Haemophilus influenzae type b, human immunodeficiency virus, herpes simplex virus, etc.) or disease (e.g., group A and group B streptococcal diseases, respiratory syncytial virus, etc.).  In such cases, it is suggested that at first mention in the main text of a vaccine (e.g., "hepatitis B vaccine", "Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccine", "human immunodeficiency virus vaccine", or "group B streptococcal disease vaccine"), it be followed immediately by its boldfaced abbreviation in parentheses ["(HBV)", "(HIB)", "(HIV)", or "(GBS)", respectively], and that the vaccine abbreviation be boldfaced thereafter in the document.  At the first naming of an etiologic agent or disease in the document (e.g., "hepatitis B virus", "Haemophilus influenzae type b", "human immunodeficiency virus", or "group B streptococcal disease"), a non-boldfaced abbreviation may be provided in parentheses ["(HBV)", "(Hib)", "(HIV)", or "(GBS)"] or an alternative designation established (e.g., "HB virus", "Hib disease", "HIV virus", or "GBS disease") and used thereafter.   [return to index at top] 
     

9. COMBINATION VACCINE NOTATION.  For combination vaccines with antigens preventing two or more diseases, "hyphens" or "dashes" (-) without spaces are used to link the abbreviations of its separate components (e.g.,  DTP_w-HIB-HBV, DTP_a-HBV-POL,  HAV-HBV,  HIB-HBV, MEA-RUB,  MMR-VAR,  and  MUM-RUB) (Note: this differs from the European proposal, which used blank spaces to separate the multiple antigens comprising an individual combination vaccine.)   [return to index at top] 
     

10. LISTING SEQUENCE OF COMBINATION ANTIGENS.  The individual vaccine antigens comprising a combination vaccine should be ordered in an abbreviation according to the following rules, arranged in descending order of precedence:  

• Grandfathered combinations.  For existing combination vaccines whose abbreviations have been incorporated unchanged into these guidelines based on widespread use and acceptance (e.g., DTP, DTP_w, DTP_a), the non-alphabetical sequence in which antigens may be arranged remains unchanged.     [return to index at top]  

• New additions to existing combinations.  When a new antigen is added to a previously-licensed combination of antigens, the abbreviation root for the new antigen should be appended after the previously-combined antigens (e.g., DTP_w-HIB, DTP_a-HIB, DTP_a-HIB-POL, MMR-VAR), even if the new antigen appears out of alphabetical order.   [return to index at top]  

• Multiple newly-added antigens.  When multiple new antigens are added simultaneously to an existing combination, the new antigens should be listed in alphabetical order according to the official, spelled-out, full generic name of the vaccines being combined (e.g., DTP_a-HIB-HBV, DTP_a-HIB-HBV-POL).  (Some abbreviations listed in the table below for future combination vaccines may need to be re-ordered according to the actual chronology in which their components become combined, according to the prior rule.)   [return to index at top]   

• New combinations.  When a new combination vaccine is developed from multiple antigens not previously together in a licensed product, the abbreviation roots should be listed in alphabetical order according to the official, spelled-out, full generic names of the component vaccines (e.g., HAV-HBV, HIB-HBV, HIB-MEN, HIB-MEN-PNU, MEN-PNU).   [return to index at top]  

11. SIMULTANEOUS VACCINATION NOTATION.  As a convention to indicate the administration of separate vaccines to the same patient on the same day, in distinct sequential parenteral injections or oral/mucosal dosings (often described as "simultaneous vaccination"), the plus symbol surrounded by spaces ( + ) should separate abbreviations of the multiple vaccines administered.  For example, "At a clinic visit at 2 months of age, the patient received  DTP_w-HIB + HBV + OPV + ROT".  Or, "In this study, one group received DTP_a-HBV-POL + HIB + HAV + INF_a, while another received DTP_a-HIB + HAV-HBV + POL_IPV + INF_a".   [return to index at top]
       

12. AMBIGUOUS AND ILLEGIBLE CONJUNCTIONS.  Strongly discouraged is the use of reverse (\), vertical (|), or forward slashes (/) to link the separate component antigens of a combination vaccine, or to denote simultaneous vaccination, or to distinguish the lyophilized component from the liquid component(s) of a combination vaccine.  Such conjunctions are ambiguous in meaning and provide poor visual resolution.  (Compare the visual distance at which the components of these two notations can be discerned: DTP_a-HIB-HBV-POL and DTP_a/HIB/HBV/POL.)  [return to index at top]   

13. USER FLEXIBILITY.  Users may face circumstances in which more (or less) specificity is needed for an abbreviation.  In such cases, one or more subscripts may be added to (or removed from) a listed abbreviation.  Additional dashes or hyphens may be added to separate multiple specifers, at the user's discretion, according to guidelines for specifier dashes, above.  The intended meaning of such a modified abbreviation should be spelled out at first use of the abbreviation, or explained elsewhere in the document.  Examples follow: 
     

    • Conjugate used.  To identify a vaccine by the protein with which it is conjugated, the  PNU_cn  abbreviation, for example, could be appended, as in  PNU_cn-T, PNU_cn-D,  PNU_cn-OMPC,  and PNU_cn-CRM197  or just   PNU_cn-CRM .    [return to index at top]  
      

    • Serotypes and seed strains.  To identify the specific serotypes in a vaccine, their letter or number designations can be added to the abbreviation.  For example, the MEN_ps  and  MEN_cn  abbreviations could become  MEN_ps-ACYW,  MEN_cn-AC,  and  MEN_cn-B.  The live attenuated, cholera vaccine comprised of recombinant vector Salmonella typhi Ty21a strain from the Center for Vaccine Development (CVD103-HgR) could be abbreviated as CHO_{arvCVD103-HgR}.  OPV₁  and OPV₂  could designate the monovalent oral polio vaccines studied and used in the late 1950s and early 1960s for vaccines of type 1 and type 2, respectively.  However, "OPV₃" would be ambiguous: it could be interpreted as a redundant abbreviation for OPV -- the current trivalent oral polio vaccine -- or as a representation of the former monovalent type 3 vaccine.  Thus, OPV₃  should be accompanied at its first use in a document by an explanation of its intended meaning.   [return to index at top]  
      

    • Valency.  To identify a vaccine by its number of serotypes, serogroups, or component antigens, the quantity can be added to the subscript, as in  PNU_ps-23, PNU_cn-7,  PNU_cn-11,  DTP_a-1, DTP_a-2,  DTP_a-3,  and DTP_a-4  (the four latter DTP_a vaccines use numbers to indicate the number of acellular antigens of pertussis toxin, pertactin, filamentous hemagglutinin, and/or fimbriae included in each vaccine).   [return to index at top]
      

        

    • Manufacturer.  To identify a vaccine by its producer or distributor, the manufacturer's abbreviation can be added as a subscript within parentheses, e.g., ANT_(BPT), DTP_a(WYE), DTP_a(NAV), DTP_a(AVP), HBV_(GSK), HBV_(MRK), INF_(AVIR), INF_(AVP), INF_(MDV), INF_(PDL), INF_(WYE), PNU_cn(AVP), PNU_cn(MRK), PNU_cn(WYE), PNU_ps(MRK), PNU_ps(WYE), RAB_(CHIR), RAB_(AVP), SMA_vac(WYE), and TBE_w(BAX).  No hyphen is needed when appending such a parenthesis to an existing subscript.   [return to index at top]
      

14. ORDER OF MULTIPLE SUBSCRIPTS.  When various such specifiers are to be joined within an abbreviation's subscript, they should be listed in the following order, although intervening ones may be omitted:
      

    • First, the specifier for a MAJOR SUBCATEGORY of vaccine type, such as polysaccharide versus conjugate, acellular versus whole-cell antigens, inactivated versus live attenuated, etc.:  E.g., PNU_cn,  DTP_a,  INF_a  
        

    • Second, the specifier for a KEY COMPONENT contained in a vaccine, such as the protein conjugate:  E.g., PNU_cn-CRM,  PNU_cn-OMPC 
        

    • Third, the specifier for VALENCY to indicated the number of separate serotypes or antigens, etc.: E.g.,  PNU_cn-CRM7  or  PNU_cn-CRM-7,  PNU_cn-OMPC7  or  PNU_cn-OMPC-7,  PNU_cn-T11  or  PNU_cn-T-11,  DTP_a-1, DTP_a-2,  DTP_a-3,  DTP_a-4, INF_a-3 
      
      

    • Fourth, the specifier to indicate the MANUFACTURER: E.g.,  PNU_cn-CRM7(WYE),  PNU_{cn-OMPC7(MRK)}, PNU_cn-T11(AVP),  DTP_a-1(NAV), DTP_a-2(AVP),  DTP_a-3(SBB), DTP_a-4(WYE),  INF_a-3(AVIR)   [return to index at top]
        

15. ABBREVIATION TABLE.  The following table lists the proposed main root abbreviations for vaccines against most target diseases, as well as some examples of various optional specifiers to distinguish among different vaccines for the same disease.  The more complex specifiers might be used in technical scientific publications, while simpler specifiers, if any, may suffice for general record-keeping in medical charts.    Columns 2 and 3 illustrate alternatives when subscripting is not available, either by reducing specifier font size, or by entering plain text when no formatting is possible.  Entries are listed alphabetically by the spelling of the abbreviation.

jump to:  A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - J - K - L - M - N - O - P - Q - R - S - T - U - V - W - Y

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Resource links:

• U.S. Food and Drug Administration listing of Vaccines Licensed for Immunization and Distributed in the U.S.
  
  
• Tables: Vaccines and Biologics Used in U.S. and Foreign Markets (brandnames and manufacturers) and Translation of [foreign] Vaccine-related Terms into English, maintained at the immunization practices recordkeeping resources page of the Immunization Action Coalition.
  

Comments and suggestions are welcome, particularly concerning past, existing, or future vaccines missing from the table, and should be communicated to visi@cdc.gov.

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                          This page last modified on November 12, 2003