Varicella-zoster virus-specific, cell-mediated immunity with interferon-gamma release assay after vaccination of college students with no or intermediate IgG antibody response.

This study measured Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) specific cell-mediated immunity (CMI) and antibodies to clarify immune response after vaccination in 68 college students with negative or intermediate IgG antibody status. The enrolled numbers of negative, intermediate, and positive VZV-IgG antibody were 27, 41, and 28 students, respectively. The positive rates of CMI were 3.7% (1/27), 41.5% (17/41), and 96.4% (27/28) before vaccination, respectively. After vaccination, the IgG antibody titers became significantly higher in the intermediate IgG group compared to those in the negative IgG group (P < 0.01), but CMI did not differ significantly between the two groups. Ninety-three percent (38/41) of the intermediate IgG antibody group and 41% (11/27) of the negative IgG antibody group became positive for the IgG antibody after vaccination (P < 0.0001). When subjects were divided into negative, intermediate, and positive CMI by interferon-gamma values before vaccination, the IgG antibody and interferon-gamma values increased significantly in the positive CMI group compared to the negative CMI group after vaccination (P < 0.01 and P < 0.01, respectively). All (17/17) of positive CMI group and 61% (27/44) of negative CMI group became positive for the IgG antibody after vaccination (P < 0.01). Ninety-four percent (16/17) of positive CMI group and 59% (28/44) of negative CMI group became positive for CMI after vaccination (P < 0.05). Ninety-six percent (22/23) of the subjects with a history of vaccination became IgG seropositive after a second dose of vaccination, but 22% (5/23) of them remained negative for CMI. CMI is valuable information to identify potential non-responders to vaccination and to predict risk of clinical VZV infection.