Introduction: Herpes zoster occurs more frequently and with more complications in solid organ transplant recipients than in age matched healthy persons. Vaccination could prevent herpes zoster. However, patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD) are known to respond much poorer to vaccinations against hepatitis B and influenza than healthy individuals do. Therefore, we studied the effect of a VZV booster vaccine on B-cell response in patients with ESRD and healthy controls.

Methods: In a prospective study, 26 patients, aged at least 50 years and awaiting renal transplantation were vaccinated with Zostavax®. Gender and age-matched living kidney donors were included as controls (n=27). Varicella Zoster Virus (VZV) specific IgG titres were measured before, at 1, 3 and 12 months post vaccination.

Results: All patients and donors have reached 3 months after vaccination, 25 patients and 26 donors also reached month 12 after vaccination. Both in patients and controls VZV-specific IgG titers were significantly higher at all time points post compared to before vaccination (M1: p<0.0001, p<0.0001; M3: p=0.0002, p<0.0001; M12: p=0.01, p=0.0005; patients and controls, respectively). The patients' IgG titers were comparable to the donors' titers at all time points (pre: p=0.64, M1: p=0.94, M3: p=0.90, M12: p=0.84). No difference was found between patients transplanted within one year after vaccination and the not transplanted patients.

Discussion: VZV booster vaccination equally increases VZV-specific IgG titers in ESRD patients compared to healthy individuals. Prophylactic VZV vaccination pre-transplantation could reduce herpes zoster incidence and severity post transplantation.

CITATION INFORMATION: Kho M, Weimar W, Boer-Verschragen M, van der Eijk A, van Besouw N. One Year Post VZV Booster: Still Equal Response in Renal Transplant Recipients Compared to Healthy Persons. Am J Transplant. 2016;16 (suppl 3).

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