Skin tests with measles and poliomyelitis vaccines in recipients of inactivated measles virus vaccine. Delayed dermal hypersensitivity.

Fifty subjects who had received monkey-kidney culturegrown, alum-precipitated inactivated measles virus vaccine were given an intradermal injection of live measles virus vaccine. Twenty-nine showed 4-mm or greater local induration 48 hours later. Induration of this degree also occurred in one of eight previous recipients of live measles virus vaccine, but not in six measles susceptibles or 32 subjects with previous natural measles. Reactions were elicited with heat-inactivated and viable live measles virus vaccine, prepared from either chick embryo or canine renal cell cultures. Intradermally administered poliomyelitis vaccine also elicited 4-mm or greater induration reactions in previous recipients of inactivated measles virus vaccine, but not in subjects without prior measles vaccination. Dermal reactions to inactivated poliomyelitis vaccine were not related to prior parenterally administered poliomyelitis immunizations, but were dependent on previous sensitization with inactivated measles virus vaccine.