The effects of booster vaccination on hepatitis B vaccine in anti-HBs negative infants of HBsAg-positive mothers after primary vaccination

Gu, Hua
Yao, Jun
Zhu, Wei
Lv, Huakun
Cheng, Suyun
Ling, Luoya
Xia, Shichang
Chen, Yongdi

¹Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention; Hangzhou, P.R. China;
²Department of Research and Education; Health Bureau of Zhejiang Province No.216; Hangzhou, P.R. China
^†These authors contributed equally to this work.

^*Correspondence to: Shichang Xia, Email: [email protected]; Yongdi Chen; Email:[email protected]

Submitted: 12/16/12; Revised: 02/01/13; Accepted: 02/15/13

http://dx.doi.org/10.4161/hv.24021

Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics 9(6):p 1292-1295, June 2013.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the changes in anti-HBs IgG levels after booster vaccinations in anti-HBs negative infants of HBsAg-positive mothers. After primary vaccination, the immunization effects of different dosages of booster vaccinations of hepatitis B vaccine (CHO) were compared.

A group of 472 newborns were vaccinated with three-dose hepatitis B vaccine at birth, 1 mo and 6 mo of age. Blood serum was collected within 6-12 mo after the third dose, and HBsAg, anti-HBs and anti-HBc levels were determined. Of this group, 101 infants who were both anti-HBs and HBsAg negative were revaccinated with 20 μg hepatitis B vaccine (CHO), and their antibody titers were monitored.

Among these 101 infants, the anti- HBs positive rates (defined as anti-HBs ≥ 100 mIU/ml) differed after the first and the third dose 79% and 90%, respectively (p < 0.05), while differences in the corresponding geometric mean titers (GMTs) were not statistically significant (629 ± 3 mIU/ml and 572 ± 3 mIU/ml respectively, p < 0.05). The anti-HBs GMTs after booster vaccination were 10-fold larger than those before booster vaccination.

We conclude that a single booster dose is generally adequate for infants of HBsAg-positive mothers, whereas a further booster dose should be given for non-responders.