title: Immunogenicity of the intradermal route of hepatitis B vaccination with the use of recombinant hepatitis B vaccine.
abstract: In March 1987, 32 hospital employees were enrolled in a prospective trial of intradermal recombinant hepatitis B vaccination. Enrollees were given 0.1 ml of vaccine on days 1, 30, and 180. Two weeks after the third intradermal vaccination, 81%, or 26, of the enrollees showed seropositivity (greater than or equal to 10 mIU antibody/ml) for hepatitis B surface antibody. Five of six nonresponders were given a fourth intradermal vaccination. Two additional seroconversions occurred, resulting in an overall conversion rate of 90% for recipients of up to four intradermal vaccine doses. Complications of vaccination were limited primarily to the occasional persistence (less than 6 months) of hyperpigmentation at the injection site. Administration of recombinant hepatitis B vaccine by the intradermal route proved to be a safe and effective method of vaccination. Cost savings of preexposure immunization with the intradermal versus the intramuscular route of vaccination were approximately $90 per enrollee. Efficacy and safety can be maximized by employing a fourth vaccine dose and routinely documenting seroconversion after vaccination.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Saint Thomas Hospital, Nashville, TN 37202.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lancaster
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Elam
authors.forename: A B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Kaiser
mesh_terms: D000917:Antibody Formation; D006505:Hepatitis / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006746:Hospital Bed Capacity, 500 and over; D006801:Humans; D007114:Immunization / Q000191:economics; D007271:Injections, Intradermal; D010564:Personnel, Hospital; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013714:Tennessee; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology; D014761:Viral Hepatitis Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic; D014761:Viral Hepatitis Vaccines