© 1994 Oxford University Press
research-article |
Sex Differences in the Humoral Antibody Response to Live Measles Vaccine in Young Adults




* Medical Corps, Israel Defense Force Israel
** Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University Israel
Ministry of Health Central Virology Laboratory Tel Hashomer, Israel
Pediatric Infectious Diseases Unit, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben Gurion University of the Negev Israel
Reprint requests to: Dr Manfred Green, Occupational Health Institute, PO Box 3, Raanana 43100, Israel
BACKGROUND: Following vaccination of children using high-titre live measles vaccine, excess non-specific mortality was reported, particularly among females. Since vaccination with live measles virus results in a temporary depression of the immune response to other antigens, the female predominance in subsequent non-measles mortality may be due to sex differences in response to live measles vaccines.
METHODS: In this study, the immunogenicity of standard titre live Sdiwarz strain measles vaccine was examined 2 and 4 weeks post-vaccination in 223 males and 66 female aged 1820 years in Israel in 1991.
RESULTS: Females had higher post-vaccination geometric mean titre (GMT) at all levels of pre-vaccination titres at both 2 and 4 weeks. Furthermore, after controlling for differences in pre-vaccination titres, overall the post-vaccination GMT for females was about 50% higher than for males (P < 0.001).
CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that females exhibit a stronger humoral immune response to measles vaccine. Possible sex differences in immunosuppression following measles vaccination should be explored.
Received 1 February 1994
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