Cellular immune response following pre-exposure and postexposure rabies vaccination by intradermal and intramuscular routes.
- Author:
Manjunatha Muniswamappa VENKATASWAMY
1
;
Shampur Narayan MADHUSUDANA
;
Sampada Sudarshan SANYAL
;
Shaheen TAJ
;
Ashwin Yajaman BELLUDI
;
Reeta Subramaniam MANI
;
Nandita HAZRA
Author Information
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords: Rabies; Rabies prophylaxis; Rabies vaccines; IFN gamma; IL4; Immune response
- MeSH: Antibodies, Neutralizing; Humans; Immunity, Cellular*; Immunity, Humoral; Immunization; Interferon-gamma; Interleukin-4; Rabies Vaccines; Rabies virus; Rabies*; Vaccination*
- From:Clinical and Experimental Vaccine Research 2015;4(1):68-74
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
- Abstract: PURPOSE: Immunization against rabies in humans induces protective neutralizing antibodies; however, the induction of type 1 or type 2 cytokine mediated cellular immune responses following rabies vaccination is not understood. Hence, the present study investigated cellular cytokine responses in vaccinated individuals. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study groups included healthy rabies antigen naive controls (n=10), individuals who received intradermal primary (n=10) or booster pre-exposure vaccination (n=20) and subjects who received postexposure rabies vaccination either by intradermal (n=18) or intramuscular (n=20) routes. The antigen specific cellular responses were analyzed by stimulating peripheral blood mononuclear cells with a rabies vaccine antigen in the interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and interleukin-4 (IL-4) enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISpot) assay. These responses were compared to the rabies virus neutralizing antibody (RVNA) titers that were measured by rapid fluorescent focus inhibition test. RESULTS: We observed that cellular and humoral immune responses to primary intradermal rabies vaccination could be greatly enhanced by a booster vaccine; and both type 1 and type 2 cytokine responses were significantly elevated. The magnitude of type 1 and type 2 cytokine responses did not differ significantly among the intramuscular and intradermal routes of postexposure vaccination. The number of cells producing IFN-gamma and IL-4 correlated significantly with the levels of RVNA. CONCLUSION: Both type 1 and type 2 cellular cytokine responses are strongly induced after rabies vaccination and directly correlate with levels of RVNA titers. The neutralizing antibody as well as the type 1 and type 2 cytokine responses may be important for vaccine induced protective responses against rabies.
