High rate of seroconversion following administration of a single supplementary dose of recombinant hepatitis B vaccine in Iranian healthy nonresponder neonates

Forty-nine Iranian neonates who failed to develop a protective anti hepatitis B surface antigen (HBs) response following primary vaccination with triple doses of recombinant hepatitis B vaccine, were classified as hypo-responders (anti-HBs > 1 < 10 IU/1) or non-responders (anti-HBs < 1 IU/1) and subsequently challenged with a single supplementary vaccine dose. A protective and anamnestic type of response was observed in 90% (44/49) of the neonates. The mean titer of anti-HBs antibody was significantly higher following supplementary vaccination, compared to that achieved after primary vaccination. This was more evident in the primary hypo-responder neonates (P < 0.00001) than the non-responder group (P < 0.002). The results indicate that a significant proportion of the nonresponder neonates to HBs antigen can be induced to develop a protective and long-lasting antibody response by administration of a single additional vaccine dose.