Failure to achieve predicted antibody responses with intradermal and intramuscular human diploid cell rabies vaccine.

In a study to compare the immunogenicity of human diploid cell rabies vaccine (HDCV) given by intramuscular or automatic intradermal jet injection, neither method of administration resulted in antibody levels predicted by previous studies. 49 days after starting a series of three 0.1 ml doses of HDCV given intradermally, 85 volunteers had a geometric mean titre (GMT) of neutralising antibody to rabies of 1:170. 9 concurrent control subjects who received 1.0 ml doses of vaccine intramuscularly had a GMT of only 1:269. Although standard potency testing did not demonstrate that the vaccine used was subpotent , these results strongly suggest that the immunogenicity of HDCV is substantially less than previously reported.