Immune memory to hepatitis B virus in 4-to-9-year old children vaccinated in infancy with four doses of hexavalent DTPa-HBV-IPV/Hib vaccine

• Published in: Human vaccines Vol. 5; no. 9; pp. 592 - 598
• Main Authors: Zinke, Michael, Kappes, Rudolf, Kindler, Klaus, Paulus Koschik, Anke, Goering, Uwe, Disselhoff, Johann, Soemantri, Peter, Grunert, Detlef, Laakmann, Karl Heinz, Gunasekaran, Ramakrishnan, Gartner, Britta, Marie Jacquet, Jeanne
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Taylor & Francis 01.09.2009
• Subjects: Child; Child, Preschool; Diphtheria-Tetanus-acellular Pertussis Vaccines - immunology; Female; Haemophilus Vaccines - immunology; Hepatitis B - prevention & control; Hepatitis B Antibodies - blood; Humans; Immunologic Memory; Male; Poliovirus Vaccine, Inactivated - immunology; Time Factors; Vaccines, Combined - immunology
• ISSN: 1554-8600; 1554-8619; 1554-8619
• DOI: 10.4161/hv.9051

The combined hexavalent diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis-hepatitis B-inactivated polio Haemophilus influenzae type b (DTPa-HBV-IPV/Hib) vaccine produces similar hepatitis B responses as the HBV monovalent vaccine. Booster vaccination of immunocompetent individuals primed against hepatitis B in infancy is currently not recommended. We investigated persisting immunity to hepatitis B in 4-6 (Study A; 106745) and 7-9 (Study B; 106744) year-old children primed in infancy and boosted in the second year of life with DTPa-HBV-IPV/Hib. Immunity was assessed by measuring persisting anti-HBs antibodies and evaluating the response to a challenge dose of HBV vaccine. At 4-6 years of age 86.0% of 186 subjects had persisting anti-HBs ≥10mIU/ml increasing to 98.4% after the challenge. At 7-9 years of age, 78.0% of 186 subjects continued to have anti-HBs antibody concentrations ≥10mIU/ml, increasing to 98.9% after the challenge. In both studies anti-HBs antibody GMC rose >80-fold. An anamnestic response to the HBV challenge was observed in 95.7% and 98.9% of subjects in Studies A and B, respectively. In both studies, 87% of 38 subjects with initially undetectable circulating anti-HBs antibodies (