Long-term persistence of T cell memory to HBsAg after hepatitis B vaccination

• Published in: World journal of gastroenterology : WJG 2004-01, Vol.10 (2), p.260-263
• Main Authors: Wang, Ru-Xiang, Boland, Greet J, van Hattum, Jan, de Gast, Gijsbert C
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Basic Research; Cell Division - immunology; Cells, Cultured; Female; Hepatitis B - immunology; Hepatitis B - prevention & control; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens - immunology; Hepatitis B Vaccines - immunology; Humans; Immunization, Secondary; Immunologic Memory - immunology; Leukocytes, Mononuclear - cytology; Leukocytes, Mononuclear - immunology; Male; Middle Aged; T细胞存贮器; 乙型肝炎病毒; 乙肝表面抗原; 存活率; 细胞增殖; 血清学检查
• ISSN: 1007-9327; 2219-2840
• DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v10.i2.260

AIM:To determine if the T cell memory to HBsAg can persist for a long time after hepatitis B (HB) vaccination.METHODS: Thirty one vaccine recipients who werehealthcare workers (18 females and 13 males aged 34-58 years) from Utrecht University Hospital, Netherlands, and had previously received a standard course of vaccination for hepatitis B were investigated and another 9 unvaccinated healthy volunteers from the same hospital were used as the control.Blood samples were taken just before the experiment to test serum anti-HBs levels and the subjects were classified into different groups according to their serum titers of antiHBs and vaccination history.Their peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were isolated from freshly heparinized venous blood and the proliferative response of T lymphoo/tes to the recombinant hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) was investigated.RESULTS: Positive serum anti-HBs was found in 61.3%(19/31) vaccine recipients and a significant in vitro lymphocyte proliferative response to recombinant HBsAg was observed in all the vaccinees with positive anti-HBs.Serum anti-HBs level≤10IU/L was found in 38.7% (12/31) subjects.In this study, we specially focused on lymphocyte proliferative response to recombinant HBsAg in those vaccine recipients with serum anti-HBsAg less than 10IU/L.Most of them had received a standard course of vaccination about 10 years before. T lymphocyte proliferative response was found positive in 7 of the 12 vaccine recipients.These results confirmed that HBsAg-specific memory T cells remained detectable in the circulation for a long time after vaccination,even when serum anti-HBs level had been undetectable.CONCLUSION: The T cell memory to HBsAg can persist for at least 10 years after HB vaccination. Further booster injection is not necessary in healthy responders to HB vaccine.