Early immunisation with hepatitis B vaccine: a five-year study

• Published in: Vaccine Vol. 18; no. 14; pp. 1307 - 1311
• Main Authors: Belloni, Cesare, Pistorio, Angela, Tinelli, Carmine, Komakec, Jacqueline, Chirico, Gaetano, Rovelli, Daniela, Gulminetti, Roberto, Comolli, Giuditta, Orsolini, Paolo, Rondini, Giorgio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 31.01.2000; Elsevier
• Subjects: Antibodies - blood; Biological and medical sciences; Child; Child, Preschool; Cohort Studies; Epidemiology. Vaccinations; General aspects; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens - blood; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens - immunology; Hepatitis B vaccines; Hepatitis B Vaccines - immunology; Hepatitis B virus; Humans; Immunisation schedule; Immunization Schedule; Immunologic Memory; Infant; Infectious diseases; Medical sciences; Time Factors; Immunologic memory; Hepatitis B vaccines; Immunisation schedule; Human; Immunological memory; Booster vaccination; Vaccination; Orthohepadnavirus; Hepatic disease; Administration schedule; Vaccine; Long term; Infection; Virus; Viral hepatitis B; Immunogenicity; Hepadnaviridae; Follow up study; Viral disease; Digestive diseases; Hepatitis B virus; Child; Humoral immunity
• ISSN: 0264-410X; 1873-2518
• DOI: 10.1016/S0264-410X(99)00414-4

We evaluated the response to the recombinant Hepatitis B vaccine using an accelerated schedule versus the traditional schedule by studying the immunologic memory induced in 200 children with HBs-Ag negative mothers. At seroconversion, the traditional schedule presented a higher percentage of children with serum HBs-Ag concentrations over 100 mIU/ml than the accelerated schedule. After five years this difference was no longer statistically significant and children who presented anti-HBsAg concentrations below 10 mUI/ml received an additional booster dose which stimulated the antibody concentration to exceed 100 mIU/ml in all cases. Recombinant HBV vaccine induced better long term immunologic memory when it was administered earlier.