Measurement of serum hepatitis B surface antibody levels in Iranian autistic children and evaluation of immunological memory after booster dose injection in comparison with controls

Abstract

Background: Responsiveness to hepatitis B vaccine among patients with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) has not been evaluated worldwide. We aimed to determine the anti-HBs antibody duration in autistic and healthy children few years after primary vaccination and evaluate their immunological memory against hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccine with booster dose administration. Methods: One hundred seven and 147 HBsAg-negative children from ASD and normal population were recruited, respectively. HBV seromarkers (HBc-Ab, HBsAg, and HBs-Ab) were assessed and subsequently, molecular tests were used on all the subjects. A booster dose of vaccine was injected for those who showed low levels (10 mIU/mL) and low anti-HBs levels, respectively. Among control group, 74 (50.4) and 73 (49.6) had sufficient and low antibody levels, respectively. After injection of a booster dose for all children with low antibody, 100 of ASD and 92 (59 of 64) of control pupils contained >10 mIU/mL of antibody, respectively. In both the groups, the HBs-Ab titer increased similarly in response to the booster injection (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Despite previous investigations regarding immune impairment in individuals with autism, the immune system of these individuals was able to manage the hepatitis B vaccine challenge. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc