SPECIFIC IMMUNE-RESPONSE IN ADULT MEDICAL PERSONNEL IMMUNIZED WITH ACELLULAR PERTUSSIS-VACCINE WITH SPECIAL EMPHASIS ON T-HELPER CELL RESPONSE

Recent epidemiologic data have indicated that adults are the most impo rtant reservoir that transmit pertussis to children, However; conventi onal whole cell pertussis vaccine is contraindicated in adults and chi ldren over 7 years of age because of the unacceptably high rate of adv erse reactions, The aim of this study is to evaluate the specific cell ular immune responses and adverse reactions to a less reactogenic acel lular pertussis vaccine in adult volunteers, Eighty healthy medical pe rsonnel in Chang Gung Children's Hospital were enrolled, Volunteers in each group received: (I) Td+full strength acellular pertussis vaccine (PI; I mu g/0.5 mi; FHA, 4 mu g/0.5 mi); (2) Td+half strength acellul ar per-tussis vaccine, (3) Td alone. Lymphocyte phenotypic analysis, a ntigen-specific antibody titers, antigen-specific proliferative respon se and cytokine levels were evaluated before and I month after vaccina tion, Our data revealed: (I) the adverse reactions were minimal; (2) p henotypic analysis showed no non-specific activation of helper T or me mory T cell after vaccination; (3) both PT and FHA-specific antibody t iters increased significantly after vaccination; (4) PT antigens had a mitogenic effect on cord blood mononuclear cells and peripheral blood mononuclear cells of the adult volunteers; (5) FHA-specific T cell pr oliferative responses significantly increased after vaccination; (6) t he cytokine production pattern showed predominant activation of Th 1 c ells as reflected in increased production of gamma-IFN after vaccinati on, Acellular pertussis vaccine can effectively induce both humoral an d cellular immune response in adults. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.