Effect of a Diphtheria Booster Vaccination in Adults with a Documented History of an Incomplete Primary Series Vaccination

Autor: Hans Martin Hasselhorn, Matthias Nübling, Friedrich Hofmann
Rok vydání: 2004
Předmět:
Zdroj: Infection. 32:282-286
ISSN: 1439-0973
0300-8126
Popis: BACKGROUND An incomplete series of diphtheria vaccination is frequently found in the vaccination documents of adult patients. This paper investigates the effect of a booster vaccination in adults with an incomplete series of primary vaccination. MATERIALS AND METHODS The effect of one diphtheria booster vaccination in adults with a documented history of only two childhood vaccinations has been investigated in 21 adults. Before the vaccination and 4 to 8 weeks thereafter, blood samples were taken and analyzed with an in vitro neutralization assay. RESULTS None of the participants had prevaccinal full protective diphtheria antitoxin levels (AT) > or = 0.1 IU/ml and four (19%) had limited serological protection (AT 0.01 to 0.1 IU/ml). After the vaccination, 14 individuals (67%) had protective LeveLs and six (29%) had limited protective levels. The risk for post-booster non-protection (AT < 0.1 IU/ml) was 7.7 times higher in comparison with a group of 170 adults with a history of at least one booster vaccination. CONCLUSION A specific immunologic memory exists in adults with a history of only two previous diphtheria vaccinations. However, our results also indicate the need for a second booster vaccination in this group if long-term protection is to be achieved.
Databáze: OpenAIRE