title: Immunologic approaches to assessing the response to inactivated hepatitis A vaccine.
abstract: Natural immunity to hepatitis A virus (HAV) is complex and likely to involve several distinct arms of the immune system. There is evidence that natural killer cells, human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-restricted cytotoxic T cells, and antibody-secreting cells of B-cell lineage all play roles in the immune response to infection with HAV. However, antibody alone is sufficient to provide a high level of protection against clinical disease. A comparison of the serum levels of antibody to HAV (anti-HAV) following administration of immune serum globulin and hepatitis A vaccine may provide a useful estimate of vaccine efficacy. Such comparisons may be accomplished using solid-phase immunoassays for detection of anti-HAV. However, tests which measure antibody capable of neutralizing virus in vitro are generally more sensitive than solid-phase immunoassays. The use of endogenously labelled virus in radioimmunoprecipitation assays shows promise of providing an equally sensitive means of measuring antibodies which are reactive with HAV particles.
authors.affiliation: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 27599-7030.
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Lemon
mesh_terms: D035922:Hepatitis A Antibodies; D022362:Hepatitis A Vaccines; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D006507:Hepatovirus / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007118:Immunoassay; D009500:Neutralization Tests; D015531:Radioimmunoprecipitation Assay; D015164:Vaccines, Inactivated / Q000276:immunology; D014761:Viral Hepatitis Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D035922:Hepatitis A Antibodies; D022362:Hepatitis A Vaccines; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies; D015164:Vaccines, Inactivated; D014761:Viral Hepatitis Vaccines