Immunogenicity of an inactivated Rift Valley fever vaccine in humans: a 12-year experience

Abstract

Rift Valley fever (RVF) virus causes serious and fatal disease in animals and man. To protect personnel who work with RVF virus in the laboratory, or troops who may be exposed to this virus, the US Army successfully developed an improved version of inactivated RVF vaccine, TSI-GSD-200. From early 1986 to late 1997, 598 at-risk workers at the US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) were vaccinated as part of an occupational safety and health program. The subjects of this study received three subcutaneous doses (0, 7 and 28 days) of 0.5 ml of TSI-GSD-200. A total of 540 vaccinees (90.3%) initially responded (group A) with an 80% plaque-reduction neutralization antibody titer (PRNT 80) of ≥1:40; whereas 58 subjects (9.7%) were initial nonresponders (group B) failing to achieve this titer. Volunteers who either failed to respond or who achieved a titer of ≥1:40 but whose titer waned below 1:40 were boosted 1–4 times with the same vaccine. Among 247 group A subjects who received the first recall injection, 242 (98%) were successfully boosted, achieving a PRNT 80 ≥1:40. Thirty-three of 44 (75%) initial nonresponders were converted to responder status after the first booster, which is a lower rate than that of group A ( P<0.001). After the primary series and the first booster, Kaplan–Meier analysis showed 50% probability of group A members maintaining a titer of ≥1:40 for approximately eight years; whereas group B had a 50% probability of maintaining a titer for only 204 days. Group A immune response rates to boosts 1–4 ranged from 87 to 100% with geometric mean titers (GMTs) ranging from 80 to 916. Boosts 1–4 immune response rates of group B volunteers ranged from 67 to 79% with GMTs ranging from 90 to 177. Minor side effects to TSI-GSD-200 were noted in 2.7% of all vaccinees after primaries and 3.5% of all vaccinees who had primaries and up to four boosters. We conclude that the use of TSI-GSD-200 is safe and provides good long-term immunity in humans when the primary series and one boost are administered.