DPT Vaccine

DPT Vaccine

DPT (also DTP and DTwP) refers to a class of combination vaccines against three infectious diseases in humans: diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough) and tetanus. The vaccine components include diphtheria and tetanus toxoids, and killed whole cells of the organism that causes pertussis (wP).

DTaP and Tdap refer to similar combination vaccines in which the pertussis component is acellular.

Also available is the DT or TD vaccine, which lacks the pertussis component.

In the Netherlands and in France, the acronym DTP refers to a combination vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus, and poliomyelitis. There, pertussis is known as kinkhoest and DKTP refers to a combination vaccine against diphtheria, pertussis/kinkhoest, tetanus, and polio.

The usual course of childhood immunization is five doses between 2 months and 15 years. For adults, separate combination vaccines are used that adjust the relative concentrations of their components.