title: Hepatitis B vaccine--proposal for a standardized assessment of immune response.
abstract: The authors developed a comparative study of the various methods of assessment of immune response to Hepatitis B vaccine. Eighty-six health care professionals underwent a vaccination programme with three doses of plasma-derived vaccine against Hepatitis B (H-B-Vax, Merck, Sharp & Dohme) given intramuscularly. Assessment of immune response was carried out three months after the end of the programme, by radioimmunoassay (RIA) and enzyme immunoassay (EIA). The results showed that the semi-quantitative assessment of Anti-HBs antibodies by RIA or EIA was perfectly comparable to the reference method (quantitative determination of antibodies by RIA). In view of these findings, the authors suggest a standardization of assessment of immune response to the vaccine, thus permitting correct planning of booster doses and easier comparison between different studies.
authors.affiliation: Escola Paulista de Medicina, São Paulo, Brasil.
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Ferraz
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: R X
authors.initials: RX
authors.lastname: Guimaråes
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies / Q000032:analysis* / Q000276:immunology; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines / Q000276:immunology* / Q000592:standards; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II