title: Immune response to simulated postexposure rabies booster vaccinations in volunteers who received preexposure vaccinations.
abstract: Several studies of the efficacy of intradermal postexposure rabies vaccination have shown that this procedure is safe, effective, and cost saving. Less is known about the reliability of the present World Health Organization (WHO)-approved intradermal preexposure regimen, which consists of three 0.1-mL doses that are generally given on days 0, 7, and 28. Previous studies have shown that neutralizing antibody responses are lower and of shorter duration in subjects given the reduced-dose intradermal regimen. Thus, it is still uncertain whether the WHO-recommended single intramuscular or intradermal booster injections given on days 0 and 3 would prevent death in all cases. In this preliminary study, we evaluated titers of neutralizing antibody in Thai student volunteers given two simulated postexposure boosters, as recommended by WHO, and we compared these volunteers to a group given vaccine intramuscularly. We observed a lower, although adequate, accelerated immune response in those given the preexposure series and postexposure boosters intradermally.
authors.affiliation: Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute (World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Research in Rabies Pathogenesis and Prevention), Department of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kositprapa
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Limsuwun
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wilde
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Jaijaroensup
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Saikasem
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Khawplod
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Kri-aksorn
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Supich
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007115:Immunization Schedule; D007117:Immunization, Secondary; D007271:Injections, Intradermal; D007273:Injections, Intramuscular; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009500:Neutralization Tests; D011818:Rabies / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011819:Rabies Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D011820:Rabies virus / Q000276:immunology; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D011819:Rabies Vaccines