Solid organ transplantation and response to vaccination

Although early vaccination is recommended in candidates for solid organ transplantation (SOT), consensual protocols do not yet exist. We applied an SOT vaccination protocol in the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona (Spain). Serology was performed before and after vaccination and compliance with the vaccination schedule was analysed during the period 2003-2004. Two hundred and thirty seven patients (72.9% male; mean age 56.31 years, range 19-72) were included. A total of 74.5% of subjects susceptible to hepatitis B virus infection responded to hepatitis B vaccination. Most patients were protected against hepatitis A, varicella, measles, rubella and mumps. The vaccine protocol was implemented satisfactorily and the administration of two courses of hepatitis B vaccine was shown to be effective.