Cellular and humoral immune responses in haemophiliacs after vaccination against tick‐borne encephalitis

Abstract

The primary immune response to a viral antigen (tick-borne encephalitis, TBE) has been determined in haemophiliacs. Twelve HIV-negative and four clinically asymptomatic, HIV-positive haemophiliacs as well as 16 age-matched healthy controls were included in the study. Antibody responses after TBE vaccination were comparable in HIV-negative haemophiliacs and controls; however, antibody titres in HIV-infected haemophiliacs were significantly lower after completion of the three-dose vaccination schedule (geometric mean reciprocal antibody titres (SEM): controls, 193 (1.37), HIV-positive haemophiliacs, 13 (2.18), P < 0.005). TBE vaccination failed to induce a T cell proliferative response in the HIV-positive haemophiliacs. While in HIV-negative patients the antigen-specific lymphoproliferative responses after primary and one booster vaccination were comparable to those of the controls, cellular responses were decreased in HIV-negative haemophiliacs following a second booster immunization 19 months after primary immunization (3H-thymidine incorporation, delta dpm, mean +/- SEM: controls, 34662 +/- 7129, HIV-negative haemophiliacs, 14339 +/- 7420, P < 0.005). As the protective mechanisms for TBE infection are not yet completely understood, further work will be necessary to determine whether the decreased capacity to mount a sufficient long-term cellular memory response in HIV-negative haemophiliacs might be important for the protective effect of TBE vaccination in this population.

Long‐term decrease of CD4+CD45RA+ T cells and impaired primary immune response after post‐traumatic splenectomy

“…Mononuclear cells (MNC) were isolated from heparinized peripheral blood (containing 7.5 IU of preservative‐free heparin per ml) by buoyant density gradient centrifugation as previously described ( Wolf et al , 1992 ). The isolated MNC were suspended in RPMI‐1640 medium (Flow Laboratories, Irvine, U.K.) supplemented with penicillin (100 IU/ml), streptomycin (100 μg/ml), l ‐glutamine (2 m m ) (RPMI suppl.)…”

British HIV Association guidelines for immunization of HIV‐infected adults 2008

“…The risk of infection is also increased in persons who are close contacts of infectious persons, have HIV infection, are homeless, abuse alcohol or inject drugs. Risk factors for disease are diabetes mellitus, renal failure, immunodeficiency, acquisition of latent infection in infancy or early childhood, and therapy with TNF‐α antagonists [217]. The risk for active TB disease is high among HIV‐infected persons: worldwide, TB is the leading cause of death among HIV‐infected people.…”

Twin Boys with Major Histocompatibility Complex Class II Deficiency but Inducible Immune Responses

“…We measured the proliferative response of isolated peripheral-blood mononuclear cells to stimulation with antigen (10 Lf units of tetanus toxoid per milliliter; Swiss Serum and Vaccine Institute, Berne) or mitogen (pokeweed mitogen, 1:1000; GIBCO, Grand Island, N.Y.) as previously described. 12 Immunoblotting of lysates of peripheral-blood mononuclear cells from the patients and a healthy control subject was performed after proteins separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis were transferred to nitrocellulose filters. We used a pool of monoclonal antibodies against the a chain of HLA-DR (DA6.147, 13 5F2.3, 14 and TAL-1B5 15 ) or the monoclonal antibody CR3/43, which is specific for the HLA-DR b chain.…”