Protection against hepatitis B by the Butang® recombinant vaccine in newborn children in South Brazil

• Main Authors: Aline Paula Isolani, Catia Silene Sversuti, Ana Maria Sell, Ricardo Alberto Moliterno
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Ministério da Saúde 2006-08-01
• Series: Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz.
• Subjects: Butang®; hepatitis B; vaccine; anti-HBsAg
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0074-02762006000500012
• ISSN: 0074-0276; 1678-8060

The prevention of hepatitis B by vaccination is one of the most efficient tools to avoid the transmission of the virus. This study evaluated the immunogenicity of the national vaccine Butang® in children born in Campo Mourão City, state of Paraná, Brazil, aged 7 to 12 months, by determining the anti-HBsAg antibodies levels after completion of the National Immunization Program Protocol for hepatitis B. All 70 children evaluated by the MEIA method (immune-enzymatic micro particles) showed seroconversion to the Butang® vaccine. Nine children (12.9%) presented a low response, with anti-HBs titers between 11 and 100 mUI/ml; 39 children (55.7%) showed a good response to the vaccine, with titers between 101 and 1000 mUI/ml; and 22 children (31.4%) showed antibodies titers higher than 1000 mUI/ml. The mean titer of the anti-HBs antibody titers was 1408.1 ± 2870.26 mUI/ml (15.7 to 19560.0 mUI/ml). The levels of antibodies produced by the prematurely-born children were not statistically different from those found in the newborns. Fifty-five children were also evaluated through the ELFA method (ELISA with a final detection in fluorescence), which presented similar results. The results obtained in our study corroborated the effectiveness of the national vaccine Butang® in newborn children of Campo Mourão City, Paraná, even if they were premature.