The Use of Vaccinia Hyperimmune Gammaglobulin in the Prophylaxis of Smallpox

Abstract

This paper records an attempt to assess the prophylactic value of immune gammaglobulin, prepared from the serum of recently vaccinated adults, in the protection of close contacts of smallpox in Madras. The results serve to confirm findings of a previous study made in Madras in 1953, and show that the incidence of smallpox in close contacts given immune gamma-globulin prophylactically was about a quarter of that in the control contacts who received no such passive immunization-a statistically significant difference. Because of the limited supply of immune gamma-globulin, it is likely that its prophylactic use will be restricted to those especially at risk, for example, close unvaccinated family contacts, newborn infants and pregnant women.In a previous field trial of hyperimmune gammaglobulin for the prevention of smallpox'1 the number of cases involved was insufficient to give conclusive evidence of prophylactic value, although the results were highly suggestive. For this reason, the experiment was repeated in a co-operative venture involving the

Cutting Edge: Long-Term B Cell Memory in Humans after Smallpox Vaccination

“…Since Abs can be protective against smallpox (8,20), memory B cells are likely to be important players in human immunity to smallpox, both by their ability to rapidly respond to infection with an anamnestic Ab response and by their potential ability to replenish long-lived plasma cells to maintain long-term Ab levels. VV-specific memory T cells are also likely to be critical components of the vaccine-mediated protection against smallpox virus (8), and the smallpox vaccine is known to elicit T cell responses (13,16,17,21).…”

Shared modes of protection against poxvirus infection by attenuated and conventional smallpox vaccine viruses

“…Both cellular and humoral immunity (virus-specific antibody) have been thought to play a role in protection against orthopoxviruses. This view is based in part on experience with poor control of vaccinia virus infection in individuals with either humoral or cellular immune defects (16), in part on the known efficacy of vaccinia-immune globulin (17), and in part on studies in mice showing a key role for IFN-␥, probably derived from T cells, in control of vaccinia and ectromelia virus infections (18)(19)(20)(21). Several studies have mapped proteins important for the elicitation of neutralizing antibodies (22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27).…”

The immune response to infection with vaccinia virus in mice: I. Infection and the production of antibody neutralizing cell-associated and cell-free virus

“…Passively transferred antibody has been successful in preventing or modifying disease in smallpox contacts (Pierce, Melville, Downie & Duckworth, 1958;Kempe, 1960;Kempe et al 1969) but the vaccination reactions of people with antibody deficiencies (Kempe, 1960;Medical Research Council Working-Party, 1969;FulgiDiti et al 1968), deficiencies in cell-mediated immunity or lack of both types of response (Kempe, 1960;Medical Research Council Working-Party, 1969;Fulginiti et at. 1966) have indicated that the cell-mediated response is vital for the elimination of infection.…”