Maintenance of high-avidity rubella-specific IgG antibody and titres in recent HIV seroconvertors and in patients progressing to the AIDS-related complex and AIDS
✍ Scribed by Thomas, H.I. Janet; Aird, Heather C.
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1999
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 157 KB
- Volume
- 58
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0146-6615
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✦ Synopsis
The avidity (functional affinity) and titre of rubella-specific IgG antibodies were examined in sequential and cross-sectional sera from 38 adult HIV-infected patients, whose HIV status ranged from pre-and recent HIV seroconversion to the AIDS-related complex (ARC) and AIDS, in order to determine whether a preexisting mature antibody response to rubella is maintained or if there is a need for rubella (re)vaccination. Thirty-five patients were already rubella-seropositive and one became rubella-seropositive during the time in which sera were collected. Although the avidity of rubella-specific IgG was higher in HIV-positive patients than in their ageand sex-matched HIV-negative counterparts, the difference was not significant. The titres of this antibody, however, were significantly higher in the HIV-positive patients. No significant decrease in antibody avidity or titre were seen in sequential sera from individual HIV-positive patients except when the titres in pre-HIV-seroconversion sera were compared with the titres in sera from patients with AIDS, where a significant decrease was observed. This would suggest that preexisting humoral immunity to rubella in HIVinfected patients is not compromised with HIV disease progression and there should be no need to revaccinate.