Precipitin responses to rubella vaccine RA 27-3.

Abstract

formation of precipitating antibodies against two or more specific antigens [1-3]. The two major antigens, which appear to be structural components of the rubella virion, but which also occur as soluble proteins in infected cell cultures, have been designated theta and iota [4]. In contrast to the natural infection, vaccination with the attenuated rubella virus strains HPV-77 (DE5) and Cendehill stimulates moderate to high levels of anti-theta antibody, but usually produces no detectable anti-iota at all. At best, only minimal amounts of the latter antibody are formed in a minority of vaccinees, and they are almost exclusively children [5, 6]. The present note describes the precipitin responses in recipients of rubella vaccine RA 27/3 [7, 8], and in particular the appearance of anti-iota precipitin, even in adolescents and young adults. We suggest that this elaboration of antiiota antibody may be associated with a degree and kind of immunity resembling that acquired after natural infection with wild rubella virus.