title: Is a low dose of hepatitis B vaccine enough for a rapid vaccination scheme?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether or not a low dose of HB vaccine can be effectively used in the rapid vaccination.
  
  
  METHODS
  Rapid vaccination (0, 1, 2 months) with low dose (5 microg) or routine dose (10 microg) HB vaccine was studied in 250 subjects (130 school children and 120 university students). Serum from all the participants was tested for HBsAg, anti-HBs and anti-HBc at 1, 3 and 7 months after the first dose of vaccination and all subjects were serum HBV marks negative before the vaccination. Non-responders to a complete initial vaccination from university students were given an additional vaccination with 10 microg of HB vaccine and their serum anti-HBs was tested again one month later.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One month after the third dose of vaccination (third month) sero-conversion rates and geometric mean titer (GMTs) were significantly (P<0.01) higher in the routine dose (resp. 89% and 106.8) than in the low dose group (resp. 72% and 59.5). Sero-conversion rates and GMTs were maintained stable for another 4 months in both groups. After an additional vaccination to non-responders with 10 microg HB vaccine, 17/23 subjects (13/15 from those vaccinated with 5 microg vaccine and 4/8 from those vaccinated with 10 microg vaccine) became anti-HBs positive, yielding similar sero-conversion rates for both dose groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Higher sero-conversion rates and GMTs were reached in those vaccinated with 10 microg HB vaccine than in those vaccinated with 5 microg HB vaccine after a complete vaccination with a 0, 1, 2 month scheme. But the subjects vaccinated with 5 microg vaccine can also reach the similar sero-conversion rate after an additional vaccination.
authors.affiliation: Shenyang Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shenyang 110031, Liaoning Province, China. rxwtxh@pub.sy.ln.cn
authors.forename: Ru-Xiang
authors.initials: RX
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Greet
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Boland
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Shao-Ping
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Lei
authors.forename: Chang-Hong
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.forename: Jin-Ying
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.forename: Ke-Hong
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Du
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: van Hattum
authors.forename: Gijsbert C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: de Gast
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006801:Humans; D032541:Mass Vaccination / Q000379:methods*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines