RESPONSE TO HEPATITIS-B VACCINE IN A COHORT OF GAMBIAN CHILDREN

In a cohort of 1000 Gambian children immunized with four doses of 10 m u g of plasma derived hepatitis B virus vaccine, 44 subjects (4.4%) sh owed no response (<10 mIU/ml; 6 subjects) or low specific antibody res ponse (10 to 99 mIU/ml; 38 subjects) to hepatitis B surface antigen. S erologic indices, potentially correlated with low immunologic response , were investigated in sera obtained from these children and in sex-, age- and village-matched controls who showed a normal response. The pr esence of circulating immune complexes in similar proportion of respon ding and poorly responding children together with a low prevalence of rheumatoid factors suggested that polyclonal B cell activation was not correlated with the subnormal humoral response. Concentrations of ser um immunoglobulin (Ig) and IgG subclasses did not differ in the two gr oups. Some of the African prevalent Ig allotypes were determined, but no significant differences in the two groups were found. The humoral r esponse to hepatitis B surface antigen did not correlate with the resp onse to tetanus toxoid.