Yonsei Med J.  2014 Jan;55(1):126-131. 10.3349/ymj.2014.55.1.126.

The Immunogenicity of a Single Dose of Hepatitis A Virus Vaccines (Havrix(R) and Epaxal(R)) in Korean Young Adults

• Lim J
• Song YJ
• Park WS
• Sohn H
• Lee MS
• Shin DH
• Kim CB
• Kim H
• Oh GJ
• Ki M

• KMID: 1779896
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3349/ymj.2014.55.1.126

Abstract

PURPOSE
Assessing the immunogenicity of a single dose of hepatitis A virus (HAV) vaccines is important because some people receive only a single dose. However, previous studies have shown variable results and have not examined the effects of demographic characteristics other than gender. This study was performed to examine the immunogenicity of a single dose of HAV vaccine according to the vaccine type and demographic characteristics in young adults.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Seronegative medical school students were randomly allocated to receive either Havrix or Epaxal.
RESULTS
After approximately 11 months, the seroconversion rate in 451 participants was 80.7%. In men, the Havrix group showed a significantly higher seroconversion rate (81.9%) than the Epaxal group (69.2%), whereas both vaccine groups showed similarly high immunogenicity in women (Havrix: 90.1%, Epaxal: 92.9%; P for interaction=0.062). According to the results of a multivariate analysis, Epaxal showed significantly lower immunogenicity than Havrix only in men. Age, obesity, drinking, smoking, and follow-up time did not significantly affect seroconversion in either gender.
CONCLUSION
The seroconversion rate of single-dose HAV vaccines was low in men, particularly in those who received Epaxal. Our results suggest that gender effects should be considered when comparing the immunogenicity of different HAV vaccines.

Keyword

Hepatitis A virus; hepatitis A vaccine; immune; vaccine; young adults

MeSH Terms

Adolescent
Adult
Female
Hepatitis A/*immunology/*prevention & control
Hepatitis A Vaccines
Hepatitis A Virus, Human/*immunology/*pathogenicity
Humans
Male
Young Adult
Hepatitis A Vaccines

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Effect of gender and vaccine type on seroconversion rates. p value for the difference between groups 1 and 2=0.012, p value for the difference between groups 3 and 4=0.552, p value for the difference between groups 1 and 3=0.105, p value for the difference between groups 2 and 4 <0.001, and p value for the interaction between gender and vaccine type adjusted by age, gender, obesity, drinking, smoking, vaccine type, and follow-up time=0.062.

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