Measles Immunity After Revaccination: Results in Children Vaccinated Before 10 Months of Age

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Abstract
Measles immunity was studied in children in a private pediatric practice who had been revaccinated because they had received their primary measles vaccination before 1 yr of age. Antibody was measured in 72 of these children who had received the 1st injection of live measles virus vaccine at < 10 mo. of age and the 2nd at > 1 yr of age. Of the 72 children, 29 (40%) had no detectable antibody and the geometric mean titer for the group was .apprx. 1.4. Of the children with low antibody titers, 15 were given a 3rd injection of measles vaccine and 5 (33%) still did not respond. Cell-mediated immunity as indicated by lymphocyte transformation to measles antigen was measured in 11 of the children. Five (45%) had responses to measles antigen but the responses did not correlate with the presence or absence of antibody. Revaccination apparently is unsuccessful in many children who received measles vaccine in the first yr of life and even a 3rd injection of vaccine may fail to produce a significant antibody response.