Early immunisation with hepatitis B vaccine: a five-year study.
We evaluated the response to the recombinant Hepatitis B vaccine using an accelerated schedule versus the traditional schedule by studying the immunologic memory induced in 200 children with HBs-Ag negative mothers. At seroconversion, the traditional schedule presented a higher percentage of children with serum HBs-Ag concentrations over 100 mIU/ml than the accelerated schedule. After five years this difference was no longer statistically significant and children who presented anti-HBsAg concentrations below 10 mUI/ml received an additional booster dose which stimulated the antibody concentration to exceed 100 mIU/ml in all cases. Recombinant HBV vaccine induced better long term immunologic memory when it was administered earlier.
Belloni
C
C
Division of Neonatal Intensive Care, IRCCS San Matteo, Viale della Libertà, 49-27100, Pavia, Italy. pistorioa@smatteo.pv.it
Pistorio
A
A
Tinelli
C
C
Komakec
J
J
Chirico
G
G
Rovelli
D
D
Gulminetti
R
R
Comolli
G
G
Orsolini
P
P
Rondini
G
G
D000906:Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007115:Immunization Schedule; D007156:Immunologic Memory; D007223:Infant; D013997:Time Factors
D000906:Antibodies; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines