Immunogenicity of low doses of hepatitis B vaccine in children: a study in 650 New Zealand children.
Six hundred and fifty New Zealand children from 2-12 years of age were vaccinated three times with 2 mcg intramuscular (IM) doses of Merck Sharp and Dohme plasma-derived hepatitis B vaccine (H-B-Vax), at 0, 1, and 6 months, and tested 2-3 months later for antibody to hepatitis B surface antigen (anti-HBs) by radioimmunoassay (RIA). Overall, 96.5% of the children seroconverted for anti-HBs by RIA, having levels greater than 2.1 RIA S/N units, with 91.2% having values greater than 10 S/N units. Anti-HBs levels were also determined by enzyme immunoassay (EIA), by which method a significantly better response was demonstrated in 2-4-year-olds than in older children. This study demonstrated that a satisfactory anti-HBs response was obtained using one-fifth of the recommended doses of hepatitis B vaccine.
Whakatane Hospital, New Zealand.
A
A
Milne
M
M
Dimitrakakis
G
G
Allwood
R
R
Lucas
C
C
Moyes
N
N
Pearce
D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies / Q000096:biosynthesis; D006801:Humans; D009520:New Zealand; D014761:Viral Hepatitis Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000276:immunology
D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D014761:Viral Hepatitis Vaccines