In short
Poliovirus type 1 (inactivated) is a component of inactivated poliovirus vaccines used to prevent poliomyelitis, also known as polio. It appears in a completed phase 3 trial involving 99 healthy adults as a comparator vaccine for a pertussis colonisation study. As of 2026, the inactivated poliovirus vaccine is the only polio vaccine commercially available in the United States.
Key points
- Poliovirus type 1 (inactivated) is one of three inactivated poliovirus strains in IPV vaccines used to prevent polio.
- In the KIM-study, the vaccine served as a comparator in a phase 3 trial with 99 healthy adults.
- The trial tested whether a pertussis booster vaccine reduces Bordetella pertussis colonisation after controlled human infection.
- The vaccine is given as a suspension for injection in a 0.5 ml pre-filled syringe.
- The product REVAXIS is authorised as a medicine in the Netherlands, held by Sanofi Pasteur Europe.
- Inactivated polio vaccines are recommended for infants, children, and certain adults to build immunity against all three poliovirus types.
What is poliovirus type 1 (inactivated)?
Poliovirus type 1 (inactivated) is one of three inactivated poliovirus strains used in inactivated poliovirus vaccines (IPV). The other two strains are poliovirus type 2 (inactivated) and poliovirus type 3 (inactivated). Together, these three strains make up the IPV vaccine, which is a sterile suspension of highly purified, inactivated poliovirus with enhanced potency. The type 1 strain is the Mahoney strain, grown in vero cells, a continuous line of monkey kidney cells cultivated on microcarriers. In the UK dm+d browser, the ingredient is listed under the name "Human poliovirus type 1 inactivated". The vaccine is classified as a vaccine and is used to stimulate active immunity to poliovirus. In the EU clinical trials registry, the substance appears as part of the fixed-combination vaccine REVAXIS, which contains diphtheria toxoid, tetanus toxoid, and all three inactivated poliovirus types, and is authorised as a medicine in the Netherlands.
How does poliovirus type 1 (inactivated) work?
Poliovirus type 1 (inactivated) works by stimulating the body's immune system to produce antibodies against poliovirus type 1. Because the virus is inactivated, it cannot cause polio, but it still triggers active immunity. The IPV vaccine contains all three poliovirus types so that immunity is developed against each one. The inactivation and purification process produces a vaccine that is more potent and consistent than earlier inactivated polio vaccines available in the US before 1988. Comprehensive inactivated polio vaccine can also help prevent rare persistent cases of vaccine-derived poliovirus infection from seeding new outbreaks.
Which conditions is it used or studied for?
- Poliomyelitis (polio) — IPV is used to prevent poliomyelitis caused by poliovirus types 1, 2, and 3 in infants and children 6 weeks through 17 years of age and in certain adults.
- Pertussis (whooping cough) — In the KIM-study, the combination vaccine containing poliovirus type 1 (inactivated) served as a comparator to investigate whether a pertussis booster vaccine reduces Bordetella pertussis colonisation.
How is poliovirus type 1 (inactivated) given?
Poliovirus type 1 (inactivated) is given as a suspension for injection. In the EU registry, the product REVAXIS is a suspension for injection in a pre-filled syringe, with a 0.5 ml dose given by injection. In the UK, the ingredient is available in several fixed-combination vaccines, including diphtheria, tetanus, and poliomyelitis (inactivated) vaccine as a suspension for injection in 0.5 ml pre-filled syringes. In the US, IPV is available as a standalone vaccine and in fixed-combination vaccines containing diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, and poliovirus antigens, among others.
What do the clinical trials show?
One completed phase 3 trial, the KIM-study, included poliovirus type 1 (inactivated) as part of the comparator vaccine. The trial enrolled 99 healthy adults and investigated whether booster vaccination with Tdap-IPV reduces Bordetella pertussis colonisation after intranasal challenge compared to a Td-IPV control group. The primary outcome measured was the Bordetella pertussis colonisation rate in the vaccination groups, defined as any positive culture from nasal wash samples taken between day 3 and day 28 after challenge. The role of the polio-containing vaccine in this trial was as a comparator, meaning it was used for comparison rather than being the main substance under investigation.
What side effects are known?
The provided sources do not list specific side effects for poliovirus type 1 (inactivated) in the text available. The WHO report notes that vaccine-associated poliovirus infection is on a downswing, and that comprehensive inactivated polio vaccine can prevent rare persistent cases from seeding outbreaks. The DailyMed label for IPOL describes the vaccine as a sterile suspension of highly purified, inactivated poliovirus, but the provided excerpt does not include a side effects section.