Long term persistence of T cell memory to HBsAg after hepatitis B vaccination

Abstract

AIM:To determine if the T cell memory to HBsAg can persist for a long time after hepatitis B (HB) vaccination. METHODS:Thirty one vaccine recipients who were healthcare workers (18 females and 13 males aged 34-58 years) from Utrecht University Hospital, Netherlands, and had previously received a standard course of vaccination for hepatitis B were investigated and another 9 unvaccinated healthy volunteers from the same hospital were used as the control. Blood samples were taken just before the experiment to test serum anti-HBs levels and the subjects were classified into different groups according to their serum titers of antiHBs and vaccination history. Their peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were isolated from freshly heparinized venous blood and the proliferative response of T lymphocytes to the recombinant hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) was investigated. RESULTS:Positive serum anti-HBs was found in 61.3% (19/31) vaccine recipients and a significant in vitro lymphocyte proliferative response to recombinant HBsAg was observed in all the vaccinees with positive anti-HBs. Serum anti-HBs level 10 IU/L was found in 38.7% (12/31) subjects. In this study, we specially focused on lymphocyte proliferative response to recombinant HBsAg in those vaccine recipients with serum anti-HBsAg less than 10 IU/L. Most of them had received a standard course of vaccination about 10 years before. T lymphocyte proliferative response was found positive in 7 of the 12 vaccine recipients. These results confirmed that HBsAg-specific memory T cells remained detectable in the circulation for a long time after vaccination, even when serum anti-HBs level had been undetectable. CONCLUSION:The T cell memory to HBsAg can persist for at least 10 years after HB vaccination. Further booster injection is not necessary in healthy responders to HB vaccine.Wang RX, Boland GJ, van Hattum J, de Gast GC. Long term persistence of T cell memory to HBsAg after hepatitis B vaccination.

Repeated vaccination is required to optimize seroprotection against H1N1 in the immunocompromised host

“…15 Moreover, studies in patients vaccinated against hepatitis B virus have demonstrated persistence of HBsAg-specific memory T cells in the circulation for a long time after vaccination, even when serum anti-HBs antibodies were no longer detectable. 33 This phenomenon may also apply to rituximab-treated patients in whom no antibody responses were detected, yet cellular responses were present. It is possible that the effector cytotoxic T cells seen in this group can provide protection against H1N1 infection, supporting vaccination for this subgroup of patients.…”

The persistence of anti-HBs antibody and anamnestic response 20 years after primary vaccination with recombinant hepatitis B vaccine at infancy

“…17,18 The persistence of immunological memory over 5 years after primary vaccination is apparent from rapid increases in antibody level following booster vaccination, even in subjects who have lost antibodies. [26][27][28][29] This phenomenon clearly represents the presence of the immunological memory exist within the memory B lymphocytes that are induced during the first exposure to antigen, and upon a subsequent exposure to the same antigen, induces rapid production of specific antibody. Moreover, complementary studies using an in vitro cell enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (spot-ELISA) have demonstrated that the number of memory B lymphocytes able to produce anti-HBs antibody is not reduced as the level of antibody declines.…”

Immune Response and Immunologic Memory in Medical Personnel Vaccinated with Hepatitis B Vaccine

“…8,11,13,16,17 It is worth noting that the absence of antibodies (anti-HBs < 10 mIU/ml) in previously immunized subjects does not prove absence of protection. 18,19 There have been studies demonstrating that postvaccinal immunity against hepatitis B is not only humoral, but it has been detected that immunologic memory determined by HBsAg -specifi c T-lymphocytes persists long time after vaccination in recipients with serum antibodies < 10 mIU/ml. 18 The presence of immunologic memory may be proven indirectly by measurement of the immune response to a booster vaccine dose, accepted as anamnestic immune response (AIR).…”