Immune memory to hepatitis B persists in children aged 7-8 years, who were vaccinated in infancy with 4 doses of hexavalent DTPa-HBV-IPV/Hib (Infanrix™ hexa) vaccine

• Published in: Human vaccines & immunotherapeutics Vol. 10; no. 6; pp. 1682 - 1687
• Main Authors: Van Der Meeren, Olivier, Bleckmann, Gerhard, Crasta, Priya D
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Taylor & Francis 2014; Landes Bioscience
• Subjects: anti-HBs; Child; Child, Preschool; Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis Vaccine - administration & dosage; Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis Vaccine - immunology; Female; Germany; Haemophilus Vaccines - administration & dosage; Haemophilus Vaccines - immunology; hepatitis B; Hepatitis B Antibodies - blood; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens - immunology; Hepatitis B Vaccines - administration & dosage; Hepatitis B Vaccines - immunology; Hepatitis B virus - immunology; Humans; immune memory; Immunologic Memory; Infant; Infant, Newborn; long-term; Male; persistence; Poliovirus Vaccine, Inactivated - administration & dosage; Poliovirus Vaccine, Inactivated - immunology; Research Paper; Time Factors; Vaccination - methods; Vaccines, Combined - administration & dosage; Vaccines, Combined - immunology; Germany; anti-HBs; persistence; immune memory; hepatitis B; long-term
• ISSN: 2164-5515; 2164-554X; 2164-554X
• DOI: 10.4161/hv.28480

Protection against hepatitis B disease relies on either protective serum antibodies or on the ability of the immune system to mount an anamnestic response when confronted with the hepatitis B virus (HBV). This open multicenter study (EUDRACT: 2010-022538-10) measured antibodies to HBV surface antigen (anti-HBs) in 7-8-year-old children who had received 4 doses of hexavalent diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis-HBV-inactivated poliovirus-Hemophilus influenzae type b conjugate vaccine (DTPa-HBV-IPV/Hib: Infanrix™ hexa; GlaxoSmithKline Vaccines) in the first 2 years of life through routine vaccine services in Germany. The ability of these children to mount an anamnestic response to a challenge dose of monovalent HBV vaccine (Engerix™ B Kinder; GlaxoSmithKline Vaccines) was also assessed. Before the challenge dose, 78.5% of children had anti-HBs levels ≥6.2 mIU/mL (seropositive) and 72.2% had anti-HBs levels ≥10 mIU/mL (seroprotected). Post-challenge, 98.9% had anti-HBs levels ≥10 mIU/mL and 95.8% had anti-HBs ≥100 mIU/mL. An anamnestic response to the challenge was observed in 96.6% of all subjects. The challenge dose was well tolerated, with a reactogenicity and safety profile consistent with published data. DTPa-HBV-IPV/Hib induces long-lasting immune memory to HBV that appears very similar to that induced by monovalent HBV vaccines. Protection against hepatitis B may be conferred through immune memory in subjects who responded to primary vaccination, even when they subsequently lose detectable levels of circulating anti-HBs antibodies.