Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 17, 2026

Development of a Hepatitis B Virus Reporter System to Monitor the Early Stages of the Replication Cycle
09:35

Development of a Hepatitis B Virus Reporter System to Monitor the Early Stages of the Replication Cycle

Published on: February 1, 2017

Response to hepatitis B vaccine in a cohort of Gambian children

P Carotenuto1, I Quinti, O Pontesilli

  • 1Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Rome La Sapienza, Italy.

The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal
|March 1, 1995
PubMed

Insights

A study on Gambian children found that 4.4% had a poor immune response to the hepatitis B vaccine. Further analysis revealed no correlation with immune complexes, immunoglobulins, or Ig allotypes.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Vaccinology
  • Pediatric Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a significant global health concern.
  • Effective vaccination is crucial for preventing HBV transmission, particularly in endemic regions.
  • Understanding factors influencing vaccine response in diverse populations is essential for optimizing immunization strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate serologic indices associated with poor immune response to plasma-derived hepatitis B vaccine in Gambian children.
  • To identify potential factors contributing to subnormal humoral immunity against hepatitis B surface antigen.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of sera from 1000 Gambian children immunized with four doses of hepatitis B vaccine.
  • Comparison of serologic markers between children with no/low response and age-, sex-, and village-matched controls with normal response.
  • Assessment of circulating immune complexes, rheumatoid factors, serum immunoglobulins (Ig), IgG subclasses, and Ig allotypes.

Main Results:

  • 4.4% of children exhibited no or low antibody response to hepatitis B surface antigen.
  • No significant differences were observed in circulating immune complexes, rheumatoid factors, serum Ig, IgG subclasses, or Ig allotypes between responders and non-responders.
  • Humoral response to hepatitis B vaccine did not correlate with response to tetanus toxoid.

Conclusions:

  • Polyclonal B cell activation does not appear to be correlated with subnormal humoral response to hepatitis B vaccine in this cohort.
  • Factors other than those investigated likely influence the variable immune response to hepatitis B vaccination in Gambian children.
  • Further research is needed to elucidate the mechanisms behind vaccine hypo-responsiveness in specific populations.

More Related Videos

Analysis of HBV-Specific CD4 T-cell Responses and Identification of HLA-DR-Restricted CD4 T-Cell Epitopes Based on a Peptide Matrix10:37

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

Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction-Based Detection and Quantification of Hepatitis B Virus DNA04:11

Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction-Based Detection and Quantification of Hepatitis B Virus DNA

Published on: December 15, 2023

Related Concept Videos

Cross-reactivity00:42

Cross-reactivity

Overview
Vaccinations01:51

Vaccinations

Overview
Yellow Fever01:18

Yellow Fever

Yellow fever is a viral hemorrhagic disease caused by the yellow fever virus (YFV), a member of the Flaviviridae family. It is transmitted primarily by Aedes and Haemagogus mosquitoes in tropical and subtropical regions of Africa and South America. After transmission through a mosquito bite, the virus initially replicates in skin-resident immune cells such as dendritic cells and macrophages. These cells then migrate to the lymph nodes, where viral replication increases, eventually leading to...
Hepatitis01:25

Hepatitis

Hepatitis is an inflammatory condition of the liver most commonly caused by hepatotropic viruses (A–E), though non-infectious causes such as alcohol and drugs also exist.Hepatitis AHepatitis A virus (HAV) is a non-enveloped RNA virus of the Picornaviridae family. It is primarily transmitted via the fecal-oral route, typically through ingestion of contaminated food or water. After ingestion, HAV enters the bloodstream through the oropharynx or intestinal epithelium and reaches the liver. The...
Viral Hepatitis I: Introduction01:28

Viral Hepatitis I: Introduction

Viral hepatitis is an inflammatory condition of the liver caused by infection with hepatotropic viruses, most commonly hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E. Despite variations in structure and transmission, all viruses mentioned infect hepatocytes and provoke immune responses that can hinder liver function. Additionally, some non-hepatotropic viruses can also lead to hepatic inflammation.Hepatitis A VirusHepatitis A virus (HAV) is transmitted through the fecal–oral route, typically by ingestion of food...