PNEUMOCOCCAL CONJUGATE VACCINE PRIMES FOR ANTIBODY-RESPONSES TO POLYSACCHARIDE PNEUMOCOCCAL VACCINE AFTER TREATMENT OF HODGKINS-DISEASE

Thirty-nine previously treated Hodgkin's disease (HD) patients were im munized with 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (7-OMPC) followed by one dose of 23-valent polysaccharide pneumococcal vaccine (23-PS). To determine the priming effect of 7-OMPC vaccine, their antibody res ponses to six serotypes contained in both vaccines were compared to th ose of 57 HD patients who received 23-PS vaccine only. The geometric m ean antibody concentrations after immunization with 23-PS vaccine were significantly higher for five of the six measured serotypes in HD pat ients primed with 7-OMPC vaccine compared with responses in KD patient s who received 23-PS vaccine only. The mean of the six antibody concen trations was significantly higher for the primed group at 12.5 mu g/mL and 7.76 mu g/mL, respectively (P = .015). Priming with a conjugate v accine should be considered as a strategy to protect high-risk adults.