Mayo Clinic Reports Vaccine Responsiveness Varies After Liver Transplant.(Brief Article)

2001 MAY 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) --

by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Mayo Clinic researchers propose several factors may predict whether liver transplant patients will respond to hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccinations.

Patients with end-stage liver disease often undergo liver transplantation to extend survival. New and recurring HBV infections pose a significant threat to graft survival in these patients. Mehmet Arslan headed a team of Mayo Clinic investigators who studied vaccine responsiveness in 356 liver transplant recipients given double-dose, accelerated schedules of HBV vaccine

Prior to study enrollment, prospective participants were tested for serum markers indicating previous HBV vaccination or HBV infection. Those with previous HBV infection, fulminant liver failure, or follow-up of less than two years duration were excluded from the study group.

"The vaccination schedule was 0, two weeks, four weeks, and six months using double-dose recombinant vaccine," said Arslan and colleagues. HBV vaccine is usually administered to adults in single-dose strength at longer intervals between doses. Thirty-six percent of the patients completed the accelerated vaccine schedules before undergoing transplant surgeries.

Patients were tested for vaccine effectiveness based on antibody responsiveness for up to two years following liver transplantation, and sera stored before the transplant procedures was used for comparative ...