Transfer of humoral and cellular hepatitis B immunity by allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation.
BACKGROUND
Previous data indicate that a transfer of specific humoral and cellular immunity by way of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) should, in principle, be possible.


METHODS
In the HCT setting with a follow-up of up to 55 months, we studied the transfer of hepatitis B virus (HBV) specific immunity from electively immunized donors into HLA compatible recipients suffering from chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). After excluding preexisting HBV specific immunity in donor-recipient pairs, 27 prospective donors were vaccinated against HBV. In addition, on an average of 22 months postHCT, 8 of the 19 recipients were immunized once for HBV.


RESULTS
Donor vaccination resulted in detectable hepatitis B surface (HBs) antibodies in 85% of donors and specific cellular in vitro responses in 77%. Two weeks postHCT, 86 and 67% of the recipients displayed positive humoral and cellular HBV reactions, respectively, which then decreased. Afterwards, HBV immunity reappeared in 83% of the recipients without revaccination. Following a single vaccination in recipients, seven of eight displayed a typical memory response. An HBV specific response was already detectable 1 week after vaccination, approximately 1,300-fold (humoral) and 60-fold (cellular) higher than observed in the corresponding donors after a single immunization.


CONCLUSIONS
The "spontaneous" recurrence of HBV immunity and the memory response in recipients give evidence for an elective immune transfer (e.g., for viral antigens) by way of allogeneic HCT.
Lindemann
Monika
M
Institute of Immunology, University Hospital, Essen, Germany.
Barsegian
Vahé
V
Runde
Volker
V
Fiedler
Melanie
M
Heermann
Klaus-Hinrich
KH
Schaefer
Ulrich W
UW
Roggendorf
Michael
M
Grosse-Wilde
Hans
H
D000293:Adolescent; D019264:Adoptive Transfer; D000328:Adult; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000008:administration & dosage; D000917:Antibody Formation; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy*; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D007156:Immunologic Memory; D015464:Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines