Intradermal administration of measles vaccines.

The aim of the study reported here was to determine if bifurcated needles or multiple puncture cylinders would prove suitable for administration of measles vaccines. Children 9 to 11 months old in São Paulo, Brazil, were assigned to receive either Biken-Cam 70 (5,000 TCID50/0.5 ml) or Edmonston-Zagreb (7,000 TCID50/0.5 ml) measles vaccines intradermally with a bifurcated needle or a multiple puncture cylinder. These devices are usually used to administer smallpox or BCG vaccine. The volume of vaccine inoculated was approximately 0.003 ml. Measles IgG antibodies were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) at the time of vaccination and 8 weeks later. The study participants were examined 14 days after inoculation for possible adverse reactions. Overall, the children's average age was 9.5 +/- 0.66 months at vaccination. None of the 45 recipients of Biken-Cam vaccine responded serologically. The 49 Edmonston-Zagreb vaccine recipients immunized with the multiple puncture cylinder had a somewhat higher serologic response rate (35%) and mean concentration of measles antibodies (323 mIU/ml) than those 51 who received the same vaccine administered with the bifurcated needle (26% and 291 mIU/ml, respectively). The rates of reported symptoms after vaccination did not differ significantly among the groups. Overall, the low serologic response rates following intradermal immunization with for devices tested in this study indicate that this route of administration is not suitable for routine administration of standard-titer vaccines.