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Updated: Mar 1, 2026

Analysis of HBV-Specific CD4 T-cell Responses and Identification of HLA-DR-Restricted CD4 T-Cell Epitopes Based on a Peptide Matrix
Published on: October 20, 2021
Lower Baseline Germinal Center Activity and Preserved Th1 Immunity Are Associated With Hepatitis B Vaccine Response
Robert M Paris1,2, Lucimar G Milagres2,3, Eirini Moysi4
1US Military Malaria Research Program, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, Maryland.
Background:
Why HIV-infected individuals have poor responses to standard dose and schedule hepatitis B virus immunization is not well understood.
Methods:
We compared the serologic and cellular immune profiles of treated HIV-infected individuals with similar durations of infection and preserved CD4 counts (> 350 cells/microliter) by hepatitis B vaccine (HBV) response before and after vaccination.
Results:
Similar levels of immune activation and plasma cytokine profile were found between non-responders and responders. The baseline plasma levels of CXCL-13, a surrogate of germinal center reactivity, were significantly lower in HBV responders compared to HBV non-responders and were a predictor of both vaccine response and titer. Furthermore, response to HBV vaccination was associated with a significantly higher frequency of circulating IgGhigh memory B cells post vaccination and preserved Th1 antigen-specific T-cell responses.
Conclusions:
Taken together, our data suggest that preserved Th1 responses are associated with hepatitis B vaccine response in treated HIV infection.
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