CHARACTERISTICS OF ASYMPTOMATIC SECONDARY IMMUNE-RESPONSES TO MEASLES-VIRUS IN LATE CONVALESCENT DONORS

Among 44 fully protected, late convalescent adults re-exposed to measl es, four developed an asymptomatic secondary immune response (SLR) wit h a significant increase in measles virus (MV)-specific IgG and low Ig M. The boosted antibodies were mainly of the IgG1 subclass and reacted with the nucleoprotein and the haemagglutinin protein. About 30 weeks after re-exposure, antibody levels had decreased by 35-50%, suggestin g that the booster effect may only be transient. SLR was only found in individuals with a pre-exposure IgG level below a well defined thresh old. Antibody levels above this threshold fully protected against SIR. SIR seems to be an 'all or none response' where the magnitude of incr ease in specific IgG is independent of pre-exposure antibody levels as long as these are below the above threshold. In combination with pre- exposure neutralizing and haemagglutination inhibiting titres, a thres hold was defined below which SIR is Likely to occur. This may be usefu l to predict susceptibility to SIR in a given population, since indivi duals undergoing clinically inapparent SIR are among seropositive subj ects, the most likely candidates to support transmission of virus.