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Duration of Humoral Immunity

For some antigens, the duration of humoral immunity after infection or vaccination is measured in decades, rather than in months or years.

How long does humoral immunity last after infection or vaccination? This question is germane, considering the ever-increasing number of novel vaccines and the ongoing occurrence of vaccine-preventable diseases in both developed and developing countries,

To explore this issue, researchers performed a longitudinal analysis of serum antibody titers specific for eight antigens, using 630 serum samples collected over an extended period (up to 26 years) from 45 Oregon National Primate Research Center workers. Samples were retrieved from the center’s serum bank or taken from scheduled blood draws. (Employees had at least 1 sample drawn annually as part of the center’s program to test humans who work in close proximity to nonhuman primates.) In addition, participants completed a detailed medical-history questionnaire. Most had received a smallpox vaccination during childhood and had experienced a variety of viral infections; the average age was 52.

The half-lives of antibody responses to six viruses (vaccinia, measles, mumps, rubella, varicella-zoster, and Epstein-Barr) were 50 years. Moreover, many of the antibody titers to viral antigens did not decrease over time. The estimated half-lives of antibody responses to two other antigens (tetanus and diphtheria) were <20 years.

Comment: These findings suggest that antigen-specific mechanisms are largely responsible for the duration of humoral immunity. The longevity of antibody responses varied among the participants, however, suggesting that other factors (perhaps including presentation of the antigen) also affect response to viral antigens. Because participants’ average age was 52, immunity to many of the viral antigens was induced by natural infection. Whether vaccine-induced immunity is as long-lived as natural infection–induced immunity remains unknown.

— Larry M. Baddour, MD

Dr. Baddour is a Professor of Medicine at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota.

Published in Journal Watch Infectious Diseases November 7, 2007

Citation(s):

Amanna IJ et al. Duration of humoral immunity to common viral and vaccine antigens. N Engl J Med 2007 Nov 8; 357:1903.

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