Experimental study upon the efficacy of some accelerated vaccination schedules in tetanus prophylaxis.

In an attempt to accelerate the antitetanic vaccine-induced immune response necessary particularly in subjects with tetanigenic wounds, groups of guinea pigs or rabbits were i.d. or s.c. immunized with a nonadsorbed purified and concentrated toxoid. Concomitantly, lots of control animals were i.m. immunized with tetanic vaccine adsorbed on aluminium phosphate. The immune response was estimated by testing the serum antitetanus antitoxic titre and the resistance of guinea pigs to tetanic intoxication. The results obtained revealed a variety of responses to vaccination in which differed terms of the species of animals and the applied immunization schedule. When single vaccine doses were used the protective antitetanus limit was reached in seven days in rabbits and after ten days in guinea pigs; the adsorbed vaccine induced a stronger immune response than the non-adsorbed vaccine. When multiple immunization doses were used the non-adsorbed tetanus vaccine induced, especially in rabbits, a more rapid response that the adsorbed vaccine. The vaccination schedules used in laboratory animals and which have yielded the best results in this experiment will be analysed and checked on human subjects in a further study.