Search

The comparative study of the humoral and cellular characteristics of antimeasles immunity in children immunized with live measles vaccine Ji-16, and in children having had measles revealed that both "wild" and vaccine strains of measles virus induced similar changes in the organism of the child: the synthesis of specific antibodies belonging to different physico-chemical classes, changes in the content of different serum immunoglobulins and the suppression of the blastogenic response of peripheral blood lymphoyctes to phitohemagglutinins. The changes suggest that both T- and B-lymphocytes took part in the formation of antimeasles immunity, but all these processes were more pronounced during the formation of postinfection immunity.

The formation of postvaccinal measles immunity under the conditions of the uncomplicated development of the postvaccinal process and in cases of concomitant acute respiratory viral infection (ARVI) was studied. The peculiarities of immunological reaction to ARVI in the postvaccinal period in children were characterized by disturbances in measles antibody synthesis and changes in the ratio and content of immunoglobulins. The negative influence of ARVI especially in cases of its appearance at an early period after vaccination, was manifested in decreased antibody production and in the gradual loss of immunity to measles in some children as they grew older.

Controlled epidemiological trial was applied to the study of the use of placental gamma-globulin for prophylaxis of generalized forms of meningococcus infection in the foci (creches and kindergartens). A group of the vaccinated children (16 140) and control group (16 080) were the same age and sex. Gamma-globulin was administered in a dose of 3 ml to every other child attending creches and kindergartens not later than the 10th day after the patient's isolation. It was shown that the efficacy coefficient of gamma-globulin in the foci of meningococcus infection constituted 68% (the efficacy index was 3.2) for one month after the administration.

The physicochemical and immunological properties of the experimental batches of the preparations of placental immunoglobulin, obtained by some methods of chemical modification of the molecule of IgG, have been studied. The possibility of abolishing the anticomplement properties of the preparations treated with sulfitolytic agents manufactured in the USSR has been shown. The optimum conditions permitting the production of the preparation with faintly pronounced anticomplement properties and the full monomer structure of its molecule have been established.

Inoculation to children of live measles L-16 vaccine was found to cause changes in the content of the main serum classes of immunoglobulins, A, M and G, and synthesis of specific antibody of various physico-chemical nature. Between these two values only a relative correlation was observed at 10--14 and 28--32 days after vaccination. Changes in the synthesis of serum immunoglobulins in the majority of the children were not great and statistically insignificant. Only in 2 children with hypergammaglobulinemia inoculation of measles L-16 vaccine induced intensive (statistically significant) increase in serum M and G globulins. The results indicate the necessity of further study of the effects of live measles vaccine on the immunological status of children which could probably reveal the causes of occurrence of unusual postvaccination reactions and complications.

Biological activity of 110 series of commercial gamma-globulin preparations was studied; they were found to contain placental antigens, group-specific blood substances, gonadotropic hormones and antibodies to them. Placental antigens were found in 12% of placental and abortive gamma-globulin batches in titres of 1 : 2--1 : 16; no placental protein was revealed in donor gamma-globulin. There were group-specific blood substances in all the batches of placental and abortive gamma-globulin studied (in titres of 1 : 138--A, 1 : 112 B in the placental gamma-globulin and in titres of 1 : 48.9--A, 1 : 32--B in the abortive gamma-globulin). In the preparations from the venous blood group-specific substances were either absent or present in lowe titres only (1 : 2). The value of gonadotropic hormones in the placental gamma-globulin batches constituted 873+/-157, and in the abortive--991.4+/-147 IU/l; no gonadotropins were revealed in donor gamma-globulin. The mean titres of antibodies to gonadotropin hormone in the gamma-globulin preparations made of placental blood constituted 1 : 236+/-32, of abortive--1 : 131+/-16.6, and of the venous blood--1 : 46+/-24.7. The presence of biologically-active substances in the gamma-globulin preparations pointed to the necessity of increased requirement of their quality; additional requirements to its standardization proved to be also necessary.

The dynamics of the total content of measles antibody with reference to their physico-chemical nature and the dynamics of the content of the main classes of serum immunoglobulins (A, M, G) in children previously vaccinated and not vaccinated with live measles vaccine who developed measles were studied. Measles in the vaccines was found to run a course of the type of primary and secondary infection. In the former case, the normal dynamics of specific antibody was found with timely change of synthesis of antibody of various physico-chemical nature. In the latter case, immunity to measles developed according to the secondary type and was characterized by the absence of IgM measles antibody. The secondary immunological response was also characterized by higher antibody titers in the first days of the disease and decreased content of IgG and IgM in sera in the convalescent stage. Besides, in such children, hyperthermia occurred 3 times less frequently.