Abstract
The Takahashi, Matsuura and TO-336 strains of live attenuated rubella vaccine have been used until now in Japan. Japan had implemented a single dose rubella vaccine program until 2006, but few reports are available on the persistence of immunity after the single dose of vaccination. We obtained 276 sera from January, 2009 to December, 2011 at Okafuji Pediatric Clinic and assessed the immune status against the rubella virus 1 to 10 years after vaccination with a single dose of the Takahashi strain of rubella vaccine. The regional outbreak of rubella didn’t occur from 1999 to 2011. Sera were tested for rubella antibody by a standard hemagglutination inhibition (HI) method and all subjects maintained positive antibodies 10 years after vaccination. Geometric mean titers (GMT) of HI antibody was 1:180 and decreased to 1:68 ten years after immunization. HI antibodies decreased logarithmically with days after the administration of Takahashi strain vaccine. In conclusion, vaccine-acquired immunity after a single dose of the Takahashi strain of live attenuated rubella vaccine retained the immunity at least 10 years when rubella was under regional control.
