Determination of immunity to vaccinia virus by using diluted inactivated vaccinia vaccine solution for skin testing.
OBJECTIVE
We evaluated the usefulness of skin test prepared by inactivation of vaccinia vaccine in predicting immunity to vaccinia. Skin test was injected to 77 healthy adults. Twenty had a recent smallpox vaccination (group 1). Thirty-seven were long term vacinees (group 2), while 20 subjects had never been vaccinated for smallpox (group 3).


RESULTS
Mean size of induration was 7.9, 5.3 and 0.4 mm for subjects from groups 1, 2 and 3, respectively (P<0.03 for difference between groups). Induration >or=5 mm correlated with neutralizing antibody titer >1:32 (r=0.73, P<0.0001).


CONCLUSIONS
The skin test is a potentially useful tool for the assessment of immunity to vaccinia.
Somekh
Eli
E
The Section of Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Immunology, The Edith Wolfson Medical Center, P.O. Box 5, Holon and the Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel. esomeh@post.tau.ac.il
Smetana
Zahava
Z
Tanay
Amir
A
Dalal
Ilan
I
Babai
Ilan
I
Mendelson
Ella
E
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019999:Pharmaceutical Solutions; D012882:Skin Tests; D012899:Smallpox / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012900:Smallpox Vaccine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000276:immunology*; D013997:Time Factors; D015164:Vaccines, Inactivated / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000276:immunology; D014616:Vaccinia virus / Q000276:immunology*; D014765:Viral Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000276:immunology*
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D019999:Pharmaceutical Solutions; D012900:Smallpox Vaccine; D015164:Vaccines, Inactivated; D014765:Viral Vaccines