Immune response to second vaccination series of hepatitis B virus among booster dose non-responders

• DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2016.02.050
• Publication Date: 2016-02-28T18:31:59Z
• Authors: Iman I. Salama; Samia M. Sami; Somaia I. Salama; Thanaa Mahmoud Rabah; Lobna Ahmed El Et...; Amany T. Abdel Hamid; Dalia Elmosalami; Hazem El Hariri; Zeinab N. Said
• Keywords: Male; Vaccines, Synthetic; Adolescent; Vaccination; Immunization, Secondary; Infant; Hepatitis B; 3. Good health; 03 medical and health sciences; 0302 clinical medicine; Child, Preschool; Humans; Female; Hepatitis B Vaccines; Prospective Studies; Hepatitis B Antibodies; Child; Immunologic Memory

To evaluate the response to second vaccination series among post-booster sero-negative children who had previously received compulsory HBV vaccination.After given a booster dose to 1070 children, 103 of them failed to generate anamnestic response (anti-HBs <10 IU/L). Only 91/103 children received additional two doses of recombinant HBV vaccine (i.e. 2(nd) vaccination series) after 1 and 6 months post-booster. Blood sample was withdrawn aseptically one month later for quantitative assessment of anti-HBs to detect development of protective immune response (≥10 IU/L). Immunological vaccination failure was assigned to children who did not develop protective immune response after 2(nd) vaccination series.Protective immune response was detected among 84/91 children (92.3%). While 7/91 (7.7%) whose age were ≥10 years did not respond and had post-booster undetectable anti-HBs. About 80% of children with post-booster detectable anti-HBs showed significant protective immune response (anti-HBs ≥100 IU/L) and higher GMT (299.1 ± 3.6 IU/L) compared to those with undetectable 60% and 106.2 ± 12.9 IU/L respectively (P<0.05). No significant difference was detected as regards gender or residence, P>0.05. All children with history of rheumatic fever (7 children) or diabetes mellitus (1 child) developed immune response after 2(nd) vaccination series.A booster dose of HB vaccine may be unable to induce sufficient immunological response in children who had undetectable anti-HBs titers. Revaccination for non-responders is an important procedure to increase HBV protection rate.