title: Immunological response to diphtheria/tetanus vaccine in Schistosomiasis mansoni patients.
abstract: The cellular and humoral immune responses of patients with S. mansoni infection were evaluated before and one month after each of two intramuscular doses of diphtheria/tetanus toxoid vaccine. Patients were divided into "responder" and "non-responder" groups based on anti-tetanus toxoid (anti-TT) IgG levels after vaccination. The specific anti-TT IgG1 response of the responder group was predominantly in the IgG, subclass. The lymphoproliferative response to PHA was also significantly higher in the responder group; this elevation was detectable before and after each vaccination. The responses to PWM and SPL were comparable in the two groups before vaccination, although the responder group had a higher response to SPL after vaccination. IgG antibodies for schistosome adult worm and egg antigens were significantly lower in the responder group prior to vaccination but not thereafter. Anti-diphtheria IgG antibodies were comparable in the two groups after vaccination at all times. Clinically, the non-responder patients had a higher incidence of splenomegaly (84.6% vs 44.8%) and were significantly older than the responder patients (mean 34.1 yrs vs 18.7 yrs). The cause for the reduced anti-tetanus IgG response in schistosomiasis patients is believed to be multifactorial. T cell or antigen presenting cell dysfunction, high levels of IgG antibodies specific for schistosome antigens, splenomegaly and age are factors that might lead to reduced anti-TT IgG response.
authors.affiliation: U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit No. 3, Cairo, Egypt.
authors.forename: N M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: el Ghorab
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bassily
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fouad
authors.forename: N A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: el-Masry
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Boctor
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Kamal
mesh_terms: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000096:biosynthesis; D003017:Clostridium tetani / Q000276:immunology*; D003353:Corynebacterium diphtheriae / Q000276:immunology*; D004168:Diphtheria Toxoid / Q000276:immunology*; D022422:Diphtheria-Tetanus Vaccine; D004338:Drug Combinations; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D012555:Schistosomiasis mansoni / Q000276:immunology*; D013745:Tetanus Toxoid / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D004168:Diphtheria Toxoid; D022422:Diphtheria-Tetanus Vaccine; D004338:Drug Combinations; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D013745:Tetanus Toxoid