Seroconversion after hepatitis B vaccination in healthy young adults, and the effect of a booster dose

Abstract

Objective Previous studies have shown that 5% to 15% of healthy people do not show a protective antibody response following hepatitis B vaccination. The study was done to determine the protective efficacy of vaccination in healthy young adults 1 to 4 years after the three dose vaccination series and to study the effect of a booster dose on nonresponders and hypo-responders.Design Prospective intervention study.Study group 258 volunteers from five batches of medical students vaccinated with three doses of the recombinant vaccine at 0, 1 and 6 months.Results 9.5% were non-responders. Duration of vaccina tion, sex and body mass index were not significantly asso ciated with anti-HBs levels. 28.6% had potential risk fac tors for acquiring HBV infection. 86.3% of non-respond ers developed protective anti-HBs titres after a booster dose. The persistent non-responders did not have a chronic illness or past HBV infection.Conclusions A substantial number do not seroconvert after hepatitis B vaccination. Testing of blood for anti-HBs one month after vaccination is recommended to recognise nonresponders as a booster dose will be beneficial in the majority of them.1 Associate Professor, demonstrator, ^Technical Officer,

A chimeric Sindbis-based vaccine protects cynomolgus macaques against a lethal aerosol challenge of eastern equine encephalitis virus

“…Similar findings were reported for cynomolgus macaques vaccinated with TC-83 and challenged with aerosolized VEEV [18]. A small percentage of human vaccinees typically fail to seroconvert following a single immunization with live-attenuated vaccines, including those for varicella [19] measles [20], hepatitis B [21] and VEEV strain TC-83 [22]. However, vaccinees who fail to seroconvert may be protected from subsequent exposure to virus, which can be associated with a virus-specific cell-mediated immune response [23].…”

Hepatitis B vaccine immunogenicity among nurses of a hospital

“…Every year there are over four million new acute clinical cases of hepatitis B, and one million people die from chronic active hepatitis, cirrhosis and primary liver cancer every year [2]. In Sri Lanka, epidemiological surveys of the community and in blood donors demonstrated that the prevalence of chronic HBV infection was low, ranging between 0.7% and 3% [3].…”

HBV seroprevalence after 25 years of universal mass vaccination and management of non‐responders to the anti‐Hepatitis B vaccine: An Italian study among medical students

“…9.5% were nonresponders and neither sex nor BMI was associated with antibody levels. After a booster dose, 86.3% seroconverted . Our seroconversion rates were higher than this study, and we also evaluated serum prevalence by age at immunization, although we did not evaluate BMI as a determinant of response to booster doses.…”