title: Impaired response to recombinant hepatitis B vaccine in HIV-infected persons.
abstract: We studied the immunogenicity of the standard schedule of recombinant hepatitis B vaccine (20 micrograms per dose at months 0, 1, and 6) in 21 anti-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive persons. Relatively low titers of anti-HBs developed in only five subjects (23.8%) 1 month after the third dose; all five had T4 cell counts greater than 700 cells/mm and none of the 11 subjects with a T4 cell count below this value responded. Five of the 16 nonresponders to the vaccine later had acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-related complex (two) and AIDS (three), while none of the responders did. Our results show that anti-HIV-positive persons are poor responders to the recombinant hepatitis B vaccine, and that the absence of a response is an indicator of a more severe immune deficiency and of a poor prognosis. An optimal regimen of hepatitis B vaccination in HIV-infected persons is still to be established.
authors.affiliation: Liver Unit, Hospital Clínic i Provincial, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bruguera
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cremades
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Salinas
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Grau
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sans
mesh_terms: D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015483:HIV Antibodies / Q000032:analysis; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000276:immunology; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000276:immunology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies / Q000032:analysis; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines; D006801:Humans; D007273:Injections, Intramuscular; D008297:Male; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology*; D014761:Viral Hepatitis Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D015483:HIV Antibodies; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic; D014761:Viral Hepatitis Vaccines