Secondary response to boostering by purified aluminium-hydroxide-adsorbed tetanus anatoxin in aging and in aged adults.

Immunologic responsiveness to boostering by tetanus anatoxin adsorbed on aluminium hydroxide was studied in subjects aged 60 to 91 years. They were primed 8 years previously with two injections given 40 days apart plus one injection one year later. Aging and aged subjects were shown to maintain their ability for tetanus antibody production in amounts sufficient to protect them from the disease. Therefore subjects aged above 60 years are recommended to be included into active immunizations against tetanus.