Rubella specific cell-mediated and humoral immunity following vaccination in college students with low antibody titers.

OBJECTIVE: This study measured cell-mediated immunity (CMI) and antibodies to clarify the basis of rubella reinfection after vaccination. METHODS: In a pool of 65 college students, 39 who exhibited hemagglutination-inhibition (HI) antibody titers against rubella of ≤ 1:16 were vaccinated with a rubella vaccine. The CMI was assessed with interferon-gamma release assay. RESULTS: There was low correlation (r = 0.24) between the antibody titers and interferon-gamma levels at pre-vaccination status. Preexisting interferon-gamma levels were low in some subjects with low HI antibody titers of 1:8 and 1:16. Fifty-seven percent (4/7) of the subjects who were antibody-negative with past history of rubella vaccination at entry onto the study exhibited CMI. And 57% (4/7) of the subjects remained antibody-negative following a second vaccination, despite exhibiting CMI. HI antibody titers increased significantly after vaccination, whereas post-vaccination interferon-gamma levels did not exhibit significant increases. When subjects were divided (based on their past history of vaccination and antibody values) into natural infection and vaccination groups, HI antibody titers (mean ± SD) increased to 1:2(4.4 ± 1.4) from 1: 2(3.2 ± 0.4) (p = 0.065) in the natural infection group and to 1:2(4.4 ± 1.0) from 1:2(3.0 ± 0.8) (p < 0.00001) in the vaccination group following vaccination. The same classification revealed that interferon-gamma values did not increase significantly in either group following vaccination, but the interferon-gamma values at pre- and post-vaccination in the natural infection group were significantly higher than those at pre- and post-vaccination in the vaccination group (p < 0.05 and p < 0.05, respectively). CONCLUSION: Pre-vaccination interferon-gamma levels in each HI antibody titer group were similar. And there were some subjects with antibody-positive exhibited CMI-negative. These data may explain why rubella reinfection can occur in vaccinated seropositive individuals.

Varicella-zoster virus-specific, cell-mediated immunity with interferon-gamma release assay after vaccination of college students with no or intermediate IgG antibody response.

This study measured Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) specific cell-mediated immunity (CMI) and antibodies to clarify immune response after vaccination in 68 college students with negative or intermediate IgG antibody status. The enrolled numbers of negative, intermediate, and positive VZV-IgG antibody were 27, 41, and 28 students, respectively. The positive rates of CMI were 3.7% (1/27), 41.5% (17/41), and 96.4% (27/28) before vaccination, respectively. After vaccination, the IgG antibody titers became significantly higher in the intermediate IgG group compared to those in the negative IgG group (P < 0.01), but CMI did not differ significantly between the two groups. Ninety-three percent (38/41) of the intermediate IgG antibody group and 41% (11/27) of the negative IgG antibody group became positive for the IgG antibody after vaccination (P < 0.0001). When subjects were divided into negative, intermediate, and positive CMI by interferon-gamma values before vaccination, the IgG antibody and interferon-gamma values increased significantly in the positive CMI group compared to the negative CMI group after vaccination (P < 0.01 and P < 0.01, respectively). All (17/17) of positive CMI group and 61% (27/44) of negative CMI group became positive for the IgG antibody after vaccination (P < 0.01). Ninety-four percent (16/17) of positive CMI group and 59% (28/44) of negative CMI group became positive for CMI after vaccination (P < 0.05). Ninety-six percent (22/23) of the subjects with a history of vaccination became IgG seropositive after a second dose of vaccination, but 22% (5/23) of them remained negative for CMI. CMI is valuable information to identify potential non-responders to vaccination and to predict risk of clinical VZV infection.

Neurologic complications associated with influenza vaccination: two adult cases.

We describe two adult cases of neurologic complications occurring after influenza vaccination. The first case was a 62-year-old man who experienced convulsions 5 days after vaccination, and the second case was a 70-year-old man who exhibited paraplegia 7 days after vaccination. Diagnoses of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis and transverse myelitis with acute motor axonal neuropathy were made, respectively, and steroid pulse therapy and intravenous gamma globulin therapy alleviated the patients' symptoms. Although the efficacy and cost benefit of influenza vaccination have been widely accepted, such neurologic complications might occur in the elderly or even in adults.