Affiliations: The Bridge to Peace Community Pediatric Center, Taibe and Unit of Community Pediatrics, Schneider Children’s Medical Center of Israel, Petah Tiqva, Israel | Department of Neonatology, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Campus, Petah Tiqva and Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel | Microbiology Laboratory, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Campus, Petah Tiqva and Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
Abstract: To determine the long‐term (3 years) response to hepatitis B vaccine, 246 full‐term healthy children, aged 10–44 months, who had been given three doses of Engerix B vaccine were studied. Children were divided into three groups by age at the time of the study: group I, 10–19 months (mean, 13.6 months) (n = 117); group II, 20–29 months (mean, 24.7 months) (n = 63), and group III, 30–44 months (mean, 37.7 months) (n = 62). The groups were compared for seroprotection rate by measuring the anti‐HBs titers (Abbott Axsym System). Anti‐HBs levels above the presumed protection limit were found in 96.6% of group I, 95.2% of group II and 83.8% of group III. The respective geometric mean titers (GMT) were 429.6, 185.7 and 186.5 mIU/ml. There was a significant difference in seroprotection between group I and II (p = 0.0001), group I and III (p < 0.0001), and group I and groups II and III combined (p < 0.0001). The specific response to the recombinant hepatitis B vaccine in this specific infant population was characterized by high immunogenicity with rates of nonresponse of 3.4–4.8% but with an early decline in antibody titer after 2 years of age. At a mean age of 35 months, 16.2% of the children had antibody levels below the presumed protection limit.
Keywords: Hepatitis B vaccine, immune response, antibodies persistence
