IMMUNOGENICITY OF LOW-DOSE INTRAMUSCULAR AND INTRADERMAL VACCINATION WITH RECOMBINANT HEPATITIS B VACCINE

The study is a randomized trial using recombinant DNA vaccine to determine whether an intramuscular 10 µg dose or intradermal 2 µg induces satisfactory anti-HBs levels compared to the standard dose of intramuscular 20 µg. participants were 359 healthy medical and nurse students randomly allocated to one of the three groups: Group I - IM 20 µg; Group II - IM 10 µg; Group III - ID 2 µg at 0, 1 and 6 months. Anti-HBs titres were measured after complete vaccine schedule by ELISA/Pasteur. Baseline variables were similar among groups and side effects were mild after any dose. Vaccinees in the IM-10 µg group had seroconversion rate and geometric mean titre (GMT 2344 IU L-1), not significant different from the IM-20 µg group (GMT 4570 IU L-1). On the contrary, 21.4% of the ID - 2 µg recipients mount antibody concentration below 10 IU L1 and GMT of 91 IU L-1, a statiscally significant difference compared with the standard schedule IM-20 µg (p < 0.001). A three dose regimen of half dosse IM could be considered an appropriate schedule to prevent hepatitis B in young health adults which is of relevance to the expansion of hepatitis B vaccine programme