Hepatitis B vaccine: persistence of antibody following immunization.

We examined the persistence of hepatitis B surface antibody following hepatitis B vaccination in a group of health care workers. Of the 187 vaccine recipients screened, 39 were found to be antibody negative. Life table analysis showed the proportion retaining antibody at one, two, three, and four years from the first dose of vaccine was 92%, 84%, 73%, and 55% respectively. The likelihood of retaining antibody was significantly decreased as the age of the vaccine recipient increased. These results indicate that a large proportion of vaccine recipients no longer had detectable antibody four years after receipt of the vaccine. It remains to be shown if such individuals who have lost antibody are susceptible to the development of clinical hepatitis.