title: Anamnestic response to administration of purified non-adsorbed hepatitis B surface antigen in healthy responders to hepatitis B vaccine with long-term non-protective antibody titres.
abstract: A clinical trial with four groups receiving either 0.6, 3.5, 10 or 20 micro g of purified non-adsorbed hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) was performed to study the kinetics as well as the capacity of the immune memory to respond following exposure to HBsAg in responders to a complete course of hepatitis B vaccine, in whom anti-HBs titres had declined below the seroprotective level. The study population included 64 healthy individuals. All response parameters seropositivity, seroprotection rates, booster response rates and geometric mean titres (GMTs), consistently showed that the immune response was highly satisfactory and dose-dependent. A remarkable immune response was obtained even with a trace amount of HBsAg. This study further supports recent indication that booster hepatitis B vaccine doses may be unnecessary in healthy adult responders to a full course of hepatitis B vaccination.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, General Hospital of Bari, University of Bari, Piazza G Cesare 11, 70124, Bari, Italy. p.dentico@clinif.uniba.it
authors.forename: Pietro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dentico
authors.forename: Pietro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Crovari
authors.forename: Piero Luigi
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.forename: Franca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ponzio
authors.forename: Assad
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Safary
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pellegrino
authors.forename: Francois
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Meurice
authors.forename: Alberta
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Di Pasquale
authors.forename: Nadia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tornieporth
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Volpe
authors.forename: Giancarlo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Icardi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000327:Adsorption; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000097:blood; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007156:Immunologic Memory / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic