title: Long-term follow-up of hepatitis B vaccination in infants born to noncarrier mothers in Taiwan.
abstract: Two hundred and seventy-seven infants born to hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-negative noncarrier mothers had been divided into 3 groups to receive 1 microgram, 2 micrograms or 5 micrograms of plasma derived hepatitis B vaccine and were followed up annually to the age of 6. At the end of the follow-up period, the antibody to HBsAg (anti-HBs) positive rates in these 3 groups were 63.0% (58/92), 77.9% (74/95) and 83.3% (75/90), respectively (group 1 vs. group 2, p less than 0.05; group 1 vs. group 3, p less than 0.01; group 2 vs. group 3, p greater than 0.05). Among the initial responders, 25 of 38 (65.8%) with low initial anti-HBs titers (10-100mIU/ml) and 18 of 79 (22.8%) with medium initial anti-HBs titers (101-1,000mIU/ml) were found to be anti-HBs seronegative, while only 2 of 136 (1.5%) with high initial anti-HBs titers (greater than 1,000 mIU/ml) lost their anti-HBs (P less than 0.01). None of the vaccinees became HBsAg positive but 1 initial responder became positive for anti-HBc at the age of 4. Twenty-five initial nonresponders and 18 initial responders who lost their anti-HBs at the age of 2 received a second booster of vaccination at the age of 3. Five (20.0%) of the initial nonresponders and 17 (94.4%) of the initial responders responded to the second booster. The annual incidence of natural booster was 2.1%. In conclusion, the standard doses of 5 micrograms plasma-derived vaccine tend to be the best choice for immunization of infants born to noncarrier mothers in Taiwan.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Veterans General Hospital-Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: C Y
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Y T
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.forename: M I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Yue
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Lo
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies / Q000032:analysis; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007115:Immunization Schedule; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D014611:Vaccination
chemical_list: D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines