Most humoral non-responders to hepatitis B vaccines develop HBV-specific cellular immune responses.
About 10% of health care professionals vaccinated against hepatitis B virus (HBV) fail to develop protective antibodies. We tested the capacity of peripheral blood lymphocytes from 121 health care professionals, including 76 non-responders, to proliferate to four HBV vaccines, examined the proliferating cells' subset, production of IFN-gamma, IL-4 and IL-10, and for 22 subjects, the cytokine production genotype. Specific proliferative responses to at least one HBV antigen were noted in 75% humoral non-responders. These cells differed from the CD4+ strongly proliferating cells of responders. Non-responders frequently displayed a genotype of high TGF-beta and intermediate IL-10 secretion. Most humoral non-responders to HBV thus develop specific cellular immune responses, eventually liable to protect them against viral infection.
Laboratoire d'Immunologie du CHU, Faculté de Médecine, BP 184, 54500 Vandoeuvre-les-Nancy, France.
L
L
Jarrosson
M N
MN
Kolopp-Sarda
P
P
Aguilar
M C
MC
Béné
M L
ML
Lepori
M C
MC
Vignaud
G C
GC
Faure
C
C
Kohler
D000328:Adult; D000917:Antibody Formation / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D016516:CD4-CD8 Ratio; D002455:Cell Division / Q000502:physiology; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006282:Health Personnel; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D007117:Immunization, Secondary; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D010641:Phenotype; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism
D016207:Cytokines; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines