Hepatitis B vaccine boosting: the debate continues.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to A J Tilzey.
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OBJECTIVE: To compare the reactogenicity and immunogenicity of an inactivated hepatitis A vaccine in two different immunisation schedules. DESIGN: Randomised trial. SETTING: One London teaching hospital. SUBJECTS: 104 healthy adult volunteers (71 men, 33 women aged 19-60). INTERVENTIONS: Hepatitis A vaccine to group 1 (54 volunteers) at 0, 1, and 2 months and to group 2 (50) at 0, 1, and 6 months. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Symptoms at and after each dose; liver function, hepatitis A virus specific serum immune response; and responses in saliva and parotid fluid in immunised volunteers and subjects with natural immunity. RESULTS: The vaccine was well tolerated; 97% (96/99) and 100% of those immunised developed serum antibody after one and two doses of vaccine respectively. Geometric mean titres increased progressively after each dose and were significantly higher in men but not women in group 2 after the third dose (ratio between geometric mean titres 0.265, 95% confidence interval 0.18 to 0.39; p less than 0.001). At one year this group-sex interaction was absent; geometric mean titres for both sexes were significantly higher in group 2 (ratio 0.330, 0.227 to 0.478; p less than 0.0001). Antibody responses were not significantly different between the groups at two years. Compared with naturally infected subjects immunised volunteers developed poor or undetectable virus specific IgG and IgA responses in saliva and parotid fluid. CONCLUSIONS: The vaccine was safe and highly immunogenic, and the differences in the immune responses in saliva and parotid fluid are unlikely to affect its efficacy.
An inactivated hepatitis A vaccine was given to 104 seronegative volunteers aged between 19 and 60 years according to two schedules: 0, 1 and 2 months or 0, 1 and 6 months. The vaccine was well tolerated and 97 and 100% of vaccinees developed a serum antibody response following a single and two doses of vaccine respectively. Geometric mean titres increased progressively after each dose; responses following the 0, 1, 6 month schedule were significantly higher at one year but, among those tested at two years, these differences were less marked. Vaccinees, when compared with naturally infected persons, developed poor or undetectable hepatitis-A-virus-specific immunoglobulin G and A antibody responses in saliva and parotid fluid. Such differences are, however, unlikely to affect the protective efficacy of the vaccine.
By means of two different IgM-capture assays, enterovirus-specific IgM responses were shown in 9 of 14 (64%) patients with chronic relapsing pericarditis. This finding suggests persistent enterovirus infection, particularly coxsackie B virus infection. IgM responses persisted for at least 1 year and for up to 10 years after onset of symptoms. In contrast, patients with acute enterovirus infections, including acute pericarditis, had transient responses. Among patients with acute pericarditis, the level of IgM antibody was significantly higher in those who subsequently relapsed (mean 1.21, range 0.6-2.0 optical density [OD] units) than in those who did not (0.4, 0.2-0.9 OD units; p less than 0.01). Of 86 patients with dilated cardiomyopathy, 28 (33%) showed enterovirus-specific IgM responses which were present for up to 19 months before transplantation and persisted up to 4 years afterwards. Although the distribution of HLA types in these patients was similar to that in the general population, the frequency of the HLA A2 haplotype was significantly higher in those who were IgM positive. IgM antibody was significantly more common in those who had had symptoms for longer than a year before transplantation than in those with a shorter duration of symptoms (1 of 21 vs 8 of 23; p less than 0.02). Persistent virus-specific serum IgA responses were also shown in patients with chronic cardiac disease.
When acute hepatitis B developed in 3 patients who had had gynaecological surgery, the surgeon was found to be a carrier of hepatitis B e antigen. Of 268 patients operated on by this surgeon in one hospital, 247 were screened for markers of recent or current hepatitis B. 22 (9%) had such markers, associated with symptoms in 5. The operations carrying greatest risk of infection were hysterectomy (10/42) and caesarean section (10/51). These findings strengthen the case for vaccination of all surgeons and medical students against hepatitis B.
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During 1984, 23 patients in whom a diagnosis of viral haemorrhagic fever was considered presented to the accident and emergency department at St Thomas's Hospital. There were no confirmed cases of viral haemorrhagic fever. Nine patients were transferred to Coppett's Wood Hospital, the nearest specially designated high security isolation unit. Malaria was the final diagnosis in 14, and in six this diagnosis was confirmed only after examining repeated smears at Coppett's Wood Hospital. Transferral of patients to such units is time consuming, expensive, and often unnecessary. Specially designated isolation units in district general hospitals and all teaching hospitals would simplify and improve the care not only of patients with a possible viral haemorrhagic fever but also patients with tuberculosis, multiply resistant staphylococcal infections, and viral infections that may be hazardous if transmitted to immunocompromised patients.