Serologic Response in Man to Varying Amounts of Inactivated Epidemic Typhus Vaccine.

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Abstract
Three hundred and sixty-nine Marine Corps recruits, initially without either complement fixing or toxin neutralizing epidemic typhus antibodies, were studied to determine their antibody response to subcutaneous injection of decreasing doses of commercially produced epidemic typhus vaccine administered in 1 or 2 doses of 1 ml each. When immunized with either 1 or 2 doses of undiluted vaccine or with 1 dose of vaccine diluted 1:2 or 1:4, 91 to 100% of 194 marines responded by developing either complement fixing or toxin neutralizing antibodies, or both. About 1/3 of 116 marines who received 1 dose of vaccine diluted 1:16 or 1:64 developed these antibodies. A single dose of vaccine diluted 1:256 elicited demonstrable antibodies in 15% or 9 of 59 men. These results suggested that the amount of antigen contained in 2.0 ml of vaccine required in the basic course of the immunization regimen was more than was needed to accomplish reasonable antibody responses in man. Accordingly, the primary immunization regimen for epidemic typhus for military personnel in the United States was changed in 1963 from 2 1 ml doses of vaccine given 7 to 10 days apart to a single 0.5 ml dose on entrance into military service and another 0.5 ml dose of vaccine at the time of overseas assignment.

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