Rubella specific cell-mediated and humoral immunity following vaccination in college students with low antibody titers.
OBJECTIVE
This study measured cell-mediated immunity (CMI) and antibodies to clarify the basis of rubella reinfection after vaccination.


METHODS
In a pool of 65 college students, 39 who exhibited hemagglutination-inhibition (HI) antibody titers against rubella of ≤ 1:16 were vaccinated with a rubella vaccine. The CMI was assessed with interferon-gamma release assay.


RESULTS
There was low correlation (r = 0.24) between the antibody titers and interferon-gamma levels at pre-vaccination status. Preexisting interferon-gamma levels were low in some subjects with low HI antibody titers of 1:8 and 1:16. Fifty-seven percent (4/7) of the subjects who were antibody-negative with past history of rubella vaccination at entry onto the study exhibited CMI. And 57% (4/7) of the subjects remained antibody-negative following a second vaccination, despite exhibiting CMI. HI antibody titers increased significantly after vaccination, whereas post-vaccination interferon-gamma levels did not exhibit significant increases. When subjects were divided (based on their past history of vaccination and antibody values) into natural infection and vaccination groups, HI antibody titers (mean ± SD) increased to 1:2(4.4 ± 1.4) from 1: 2(3.2 ± 0.4) (p = 0.065) in the natural infection group and to 1:2(4.4 ± 1.0) from 1:2(3.0 ± 0.8) (p < 0.00001) in the vaccination group following vaccination. The same classification revealed that interferon-gamma values did not increase significantly in either group following vaccination, but the interferon-gamma values at pre- and post-vaccination in the natural infection group were significantly higher than those at pre- and post-vaccination in the vaccination group (p < 0.05 and p < 0.05, respectively).


CONCLUSIONS
Pre-vaccination interferon-gamma levels in each HI antibody titer group were similar. And there were some subjects with antibody-positive exhibited CMI-negative. These data may explain why rubella reinfection can occur in vaccinated seropositive individuals.
Kawasaki Medical School Department of Pediatrics, 577 Matsushima, Kurashiki 701-0192, Okayama, Japan. Electronic address: kihei@med.kawasaki-m.ac.jp.
Kihei
K
Terada
Kawasaki Medical School Department of Pediatrics, 577 Matsushima, Kurashiki 701-0192, Okayama, Japan.
Yuri
Y
Itoh
Kawasaki Medical School Department of Pediatrics, 577 Matsushima, Kurashiki 701-0192, Okayama, Japan.
Tokio
T
Wakabayashi
Kawasaki Medical School Department of Pediatrics, 577 Matsushima, Kurashiki 701-0192, Okayama, Japan.
Hideto
H
Teranishi
Kawasaki Medical School Department of Pediatrics, 577 Matsushima, Kurashiki 701-0192, Okayama, Japan.
Hiroto
H
Akaike
Kawasaki Medical School Department of Pediatrics, 577 Matsushima, Kurashiki 701-0192, Okayama, Japan.
Satoko
S
Ogita
Kawasaki Medical School Department of Pediatrics, 577 Matsushima, Kurashiki 701-0192, Okayama, Japan.
Kazunobu
K
Ouchi
D000328:Adult; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006385:Hemagglutination Inhibition Tests; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D056724:Immunity, Humoral; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000097:blood*; D059425:Interferon-gamma Release Tests; D008297:Male; D012409:Rubella / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D012411:Rubella Vaccine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology*; D012412:Rubella virus / Q000276:immunology*; D013334:Students; D055815:Young Adult
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D012411:Rubella Vaccine; D007371:Interferon-gamma
Antibody; Interferon-gamma; Natural infection