Neutralizing antibody rather than cellular immune response is maintained for nearly 20 years among Japanese encephalitis SA14-14-2 vaccinees in an endemic setting

Abstract Japanese encephalitis (JE), caused by infection with Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), is the most important viral encephalitis in Asia. JE incidence has significantly decreased by immunization with live-attenuated vaccine SA14-14-2. However, the duration of immune response overtime after vaccination is inconclusive and may be associated with the risk of JE occurrence in adults. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 961 JE-vaccinated local residents aged 19–20 years in Beijing, China. 620 (65%) and 513 (53%) individuals were anti-JEV IgG antibody and neutralizing antibody (nAb) positive, respectively. The geometric mean titer (GMT) of nAb was 1:11, suggesting a seroprotection among the study population. As for IFN-γ production, peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) samples isolated from 60 subjects showed negative response following the stimulation with concentrated JEV particles. Overall, longer persistence of nAb response among vaccinees is observed than that of cellular immune response after 17–18 years of vaccination. Taken together, our results not only provide the data for evaluating herd immunity against JEV among vaccinated adults in Beijing but also offer useful information for JE prevention and control in endemic areas.