Effect of maternal antibody on immunogenicity of hepatitis A vaccine in infants.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the effect of maternal antibody on hepatitis A vaccine immunogenicity in infants. Study design Infants of mothers negative for antibody to hepatitis A virus (anti-HAV; group 1) were administered hepatitis A vaccine at 2, 4, and 6 months of age, and infants of anti-HAV-positive mothers were randomized to receive either hepatitis A vaccine (group 2) or hepatitis B vaccine (group 3) on the same schedule. Group 3 infants subsequently received hepatitis A vaccine at 8 and 10 months of age.


RESULTS
At 15 months of age, 100% of infants in group 1, 93% in group 2, and 92% in group 3 had protective levels of antibody. However, there were significant differences in the geometric mean concentration (GMC) of anti-HAV between groups. Group 1 GMC was 231 mIU/mL, compared with 85 mIU/mL for group 2 and 84 mIU/mL for group 3 (P<.001, group 1 vs group 3).


CONCLUSIONS
Passively acquired maternal anti-HAV resulted in a significantly lower final antibody response when infants were administered hepatitis A vaccine at 2, 4, and 6 months of age or at 8 and 10 months of age.
Division of Viral Hepatitis, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia 30333, USA. bill.letson@state.co.us
G William
GW
Letson
Craig N
CN
Shapiro
Deborah
D
Kuehn
Charlotte
C
Gardea
Thomas K
TK
Welty
David S
DS
Krause
Stephen B
SB
Lambert
Harold S
HS
Margolis
D000367:Age Factors; D035922:Hepatitis A Antibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D022362:Hepatitis A Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D017957:Hepatitis A Virus, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007112:Immunity, Maternally-Acquired / Q000276:immunology*; D007223:Infant
D035922:Hepatitis A Antibodies; D022362:Hepatitis A Vaccines