TITLE:
High-Dose Intra-Dermal Hepatitis B Vaccine in a Liver Transplant Patient Who Failed Prior Intramuscular Vaccination: A Brief Case Report
AUTHORS:
Sonu Dhillon, Kartik Sampath, Christopher M. Moore, Anil Dosanjh, David H. Van Thiel
KEYWORDS:
Hepatitis B Virus; Intra-Dermal Vaccination; Orthotopic Liver Transplant
JOURNAL NAME:
World Journal of Vaccines,
Vol.3 No.1,
February
22,
2013
ABSTRACT:
Hepatitis B virus (HBV)
chronic infection represents a significant cause of morbidity and mortality
worldwide. While traditional intramuscular (IM) HBV vaccination is an excellent
method for robust and sustained seroconversion in healthy individuals, its
efficacy in chronic liver disease is sub-optimal and scant data exists in the
post-liver transplant state. Importantly, HBV complications are even more
severe in these same immunocompromised populations. Intra-dermal (ID) vaccination has shown
initial promise as a successful alternative to achieving HBV seroconversion in
patients refractory to standard vaccination protocols. Herein is a case report
of a 61 year-old female who underwent liver transplantation for chronic HBV
infection and achieved HBsAg seroconversion with a robust HSsAb titer with ID
vaccination after having failed both standard and double dose IM vaccination.