Decline in rates of seropositivity for measles, mumps, and rubella antibodies among previously immunized children treated for acute leukemia.
We prospectively determined the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) antibody status of 39 previously vaccinated children before and after administering protocol-directed chemotherapy for acute leukemia. At diagnosis the seropositivity rates for measles and mumps-specific immunoglobulin G were > or = 90%, while the seropositivity rate for rubella was 85%. After treatment, rates of seropositivity for measles antibody declined by 13% (90% of patients to 77%; P = .13); for mumps antibody, by 18% (97%-79%; P = .02); and for rubella antibody, by 21% (85%-64%; P = .03). These findings suggest that some survivors of acute leukemia during childhood have an increased susceptibility to MMR viruses and would benefit from posttreatment evaluation of their immune statuses and from possible revaccination.
Department of Pediatrics, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson 39216, USA.
S
S
Feldman
M
M
Andrew
M
M
Norris
B
B
McIntyre
R
R
Iyer
D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood*; D007223:Infant; D007938:Leukemia / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D008458:Measles Vaccine / Q000276:immunology*; D008459:Measles virus / Q000276:immunology*; D022542:Measles-Mumps-Rubella Vaccine; D009108:Mumps Vaccine / Q000276:immunology*; D009109:Mumps virus / Q000276:immunology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012411:Rubella Vaccine / Q000276:immunology*; D012412:Rubella virus / Q000276:immunology*; D014611:Vaccination; D017778:Vaccines, Combined / Q000276:immunology
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D008458:Measles Vaccine; D022542:Measles-Mumps-Rubella Vaccine; D009108:Mumps Vaccine; D012411:Rubella Vaccine; D017778:Vaccines, Combined