title: Kinetics of maternal hepatitis a antibody decay in infants: implications for vaccine use.
abstract: We conducted a seroepidemiologic study to evaluate the kinetics of maternal hepatitis A antibody decay in infants. Serum samples obtained from 200 infants at 2 and 4 months of age were tested for hepatitis A antibody. Seventy-six infants (38%) were hepatitis A antibody-positive with a geometric mean antibody titer of 2634 mIU/ml. Samples collected at 4, 6 and/or 12 months of age showed seropositivity rates of 100, 95 and 39%, respectively. These data indicate that maternal antibody levels remained high through the first 6 months of life but decayed significantly by 12 months of age.
authors.affiliation: Miller Children's Hospital Long Beach, CA 90806, USA. jay_lieberman@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Jay M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Lieberman
authors.forename: Swei-ju Chang
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Partridge
authors.forename: Jennifer C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Hollister
authors.forename: Karen M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Kaplan
authors.forename: Erin H
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Jensen
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kuter
authors.forename: Joel I
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Ward
mesh_terms: D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006506:Hepatitis A / Q000276:immunology*; D022362:Hepatitis A Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007112:Immunity, Maternally-Acquired / Q000276:immunology*; D007223:Infant; D007700:Kinetics; D008297:Male; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D022362:Hepatitis A Vaccines