Absence of antibodies to HTLV-III in health workers after hepatitis B vaccination.
A proportion of the plasma for the triply inactivated, plasma-derived hepatitis B vaccine produced in the United States is obtained from homosexual men. Because homosexual men are a high-risk group for the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), concern has emerged that the vaccine could harbor the AIDS agent. To evaluate this risk, we tested 15-month postvaccination serum samples for antibodies to human T-cell lymphotropic virus type III in 100 health care workers who had received inactivated hepatitis B vaccine lots made from plasma collected between 1977 and 1979 and 100 who had received placebo injections. None of the 200 health workers had serological evidence of human T-cell lymphotropic virus type III infection. These serological findings lend additional support to earlier epidemiologic and immunologic observations suggesting that hepatitis B vaccine does not transmit infection with an AIDS virus.
Dienstag
J L
JL
Werner
B G
BG
McLane
M F
MF
Snydman
D R
DR
Grady
G F
GF
Craven
D E
DE
Crumpacker
C S
CS
Polk
B F
BF
Platt
R
R
Allan
J
J
D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D001900:Boston; D011232:Chemical Precipitation; D017977:Deltaretrovirus / Q000276:immunology*; D004340:Drug Contamination; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006280:Health Workforce; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines; D006801:Humans; D014761:Viral Hepatitis Vaccines / Q000009:adverse effects*
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines; D014761:Viral Hepatitis Vaccines