Persistent rubella infection after erroneous vaccination in an immunocompromised patient with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in remission.

A 16-year-old male patient with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in complete remission and on maintenance treatment with weekly oral methotrexate and daily oral 6-mercaptopurine for 3 months was immunized in error with the WI-RA 27/3-HDC live attenuated rubella vaccine. Increasing rubella HAI antibodies were noted from 3 to 7 months post-vaccination as well as high levels of IgM antibody up to 8 months in three different tests. High HAI antibody titers persisted for 12-18 months after vaccination. Persisting rubella virus was indicated by PCR detection of rubella-specific nucleic acid in whole blood, non-stimulated and stimulated mononuclear cells 8 months following vaccination. Further attempts to detect rubella virus RNA in two subsequent blood samples were negative. Since acute arthritis and arthralgia occurred in the second month (days 51-63) after vaccination, antileukemic chemotherapy had to be interrupted. Evidence of higher risk for chronic or relapsing rubella-associated arthropathy in immunologically compromised patients and the need to interrupt antileukemic chemotherapy should warrant immunoprophylaxis with polyvalent immune globulin in rubella-susceptible patients who are immunocompromised.