title: Long-term immunogenicity and efficacy of hepatitis B vaccine in infants born to HBeAg-positive HBsAg-carrier mothers.
abstract: In an attempt to evaluate the long-term immunogenicity and efficacy of plasma-derived hepatitis B vaccine in preventing hepatitis B virus infection, 199 infants born to hepatitis B e antigen-positive hepatitis B surface antigen-carrier mothers were found to be antibody to HBsAg-positive (greater than or equal to 10 mIU per ml) 2 months after the first booster of hepatitis B vaccination at age 1, and their serum HBsAg and anti-HBs were rechecked annually to ages 3 to 5. Of the nine infants whose initial anti-HBs were low (10 to 100 mIU per ml) in concentration, four (44%) were found to be anti-HBs seronegative at age 3, while none of the 127 vaccine responders with high anti-HBs levels (greater than 1,000 mIU per ml) lost their anti-HBs during the 4-year follow-up period. Also, in 63 infants whose initial anti-HBs titers were around 101 to 1,000 mIU per ml, only two lost their anti-HBs at age 4, and another two at age 5, respectively. Whether the vaccine responders lost their anti-HBs or not, no hepatitis B virus infection occurred in these vaccinees during the follow-up period. Thus, in the first 5 years of life, the protective efficacy in the high-risk infants who responded to plasma-derived hepatitis B vaccine was 100%. Because of the diversity of anti-HBs response in individuals, we suggest testing anti-HBs titer in all vaccinated infants after the first booster vaccination in order to calculate the time of next booster before the minimal protective level is reached.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Lo
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Y T
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.forename: T C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: C Y
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: G H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Yeh
mesh_terms: D002353:Carrier State / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000032:analysis*; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens / Q000032:analysis*; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange; D011247:Pregnancy; D014611:Vaccination; D014765:Viral Vaccines / Q000276:immunology / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens; D014765:Viral Vaccines