Immune responses of humans to a human diploid cell strain of rabies virus vaccine: lymphocyte transformation, production of virus-neutralizing antibody, and induction of interferon.

Lymphocyte transformation, production of neutralizing antibody, and interferon activity of 20 healthy volunteers in response to a human diploid cell strain (HDCS) of rabies virus vaccine were studied. Ten vaccines received 1.0 ml of HDCS vaccine on days 0, 3, 7, and 14, and five of these volunteers received, in addition, 20 international units of human rabies immune globulin/kg of body weight on day 0. All 10 volunteers developed high titers of neutralizing antibody, and eight of the 10 had lymphocytes that were immunologically stimulated by HDCS rabies virus antigen. The interferon responses of eight vaccines to 1.0 ml of HDCS vaccine given intramuscularly on days 0 and 28 and of two vaccines to 1.0 ml of vaccine given intradermally in eight body sites on the same days were measured; low levels of interferon-like activity were found in eight of nine volunteers after the first vaccination, and no activity was found upon revaccination. The high titers of neutralizing antibody that developed did not correlate with lymphocyte stimulation or interferon-like activity, but it is true that all 20 volunteers did develop high titers of neutralizing antibody after 1.0 ml of HDCS vaccine was given intradermally.