Human Rabies Titers and Re-boostering?

[LVT2DVM]

Curious....

How many current students or recent grads had to receive a 4th RV booster after being tested in their junior year just before clinics?

A bunch of us just found out our titers are still low after getting 3 pre-exposure vaccines in our freshman year. I was just curious how often this happens?

We were warned this MIGHT occur; which is why we are required to get our titers checked in our junior year. But I don't think many of us actually believed we'd have to invest another $250 bucks for a 4th vaccine and potentially another $100 in titers before clinics

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[alliecat44]

Ouch, that's a total bummer. I had post-exposure vaccines in 2000 and my titer was still protective before clinics in 2010........don't know if that helps. That really sucks ! Did all of you whose titers are low receive vaccines from the same place??

 

[LVT2DVM]

Ouch, that's a total bummer. I had post-exposure vaccines in 2000 and my titer was still protective before clinics in 2010........don't know if that helps. That really sucks ! Did all of you whose titers are low receive vaccines from the same place??

So far as I know, yes. Everyone involved got vaccines from the schools health center.

 

[Braki]

I got my 3 boosters last year, and when they did the titer I just barely made the cutoff, so I'm pretty sure that in another year I'm going to have to get another booster. It sucks.

 

[alliecat44]

So far as I know, yes. Everyone involved got vaccines from the schools health center.

Depending on the overall percentage of your classmates who got vaccines at the health center vs. elsewhere and the number of those who were vaccinated elsewhere who don't have a protective titer.........that's awfully suspicious about handling/storage stuff...

 

[that redhead]

My titer levels were good for six years after the initial three. I was boostered for the first time this summer - hopefully it'll last another six or more!

 

[dvmsara]

A bunch of us just found out our titers are still low after getting 3 pre-exposure vaccines in our freshman year. I was just curious how often this happens?

Ick, that stinks. I know a friend of mine had pretty much no titer, but she also had a bad reaction to the vaccines the first time around (major rashes, particularly in areas exposed to the sun). I think they were trying to get her a different brand of vaccine or something. Other than that, there were maybe just a couple of others in my class (of about 145).

 

[elefante7]

I got mine checked after ~2.5 years and I still have a good titer. One of our professors just mentioned that she still has a good titer after a couple of decades. From what I have heard, titers on the whole should last a while with just a few exceptions.

 

[Ben and Me]

We just got our titer results back as well and there are quite a few of us who have to get boostered. I got my vaccines in 2007 though, so at least I've had mine on board for a little longer...though I had a very strong titer in 2009?

I'd also heard that having to get boostered was pretty rare, and when you compare the "Lab Results" from those who were asked to get boostered and those who weren't, the Results (> or = to 0.1IU/mL) are the same.... And > or = to 0.1IU/mL is also listed as the Reference Range? Wouldn't the reference range indicate those who are protected? The way the info is presented is very different from how it was presented when I got the actual lab report before I started school.

I'm going to try to find out more when I call on Monday to schedule my booster. Not exactly a fun way to spend $250, though I suppose it beats the alternative....

 

[Minnerbelle]

I'd also heard that having to get boostered was pretty rare, and when you compare the "Lab Results" from those who were asked to get boostered and those who weren't, the Results (> or = to 0.1IU/mL) are the same.... And > or = to 0.1IU/mL is also listed as the Reference Range? Wouldn't the reference range indicate those who are protected? The way the info is presented is very different from how it was presented when I got the actual lab report before I started school.

I'm going to try to find out more when I call on Monday to schedule my booster. Not exactly a fun way to spend $250, though I suppose it beats the alternative....

I'm not sure if I'm understanding exactly what you're saying with the lab results, but when I got mine back, there were 3 categories. First being undetectable. Second being detectable > 0.1 IU/mL but not protective < 0.6 IU/mL. And the last being protective > 0.6 IU/mL. So anything below 0.6 IU/mL needed a booster, regardless of whether you had a positive titer or not. I'm not sure if different ref labs interpret it differently, but I have a feeling that's why you need a titer.

I got my shot in 2006, and yep... I got stuck in the detectable but not protective category this year. SUCKS! Not sure how much of this is true, but I heard from older vets that the rabies vaccine used now is different from the ones used before, so that's why you need more frequent boosters now... Like, all of them have gone 10+ years between boosters and their titers are still protective or something like that.

 

[Minnerbelle]

Not exactly a fun way to spend $250, though I suppose it beats the alternative....

what, like getting all those extra post-exposure prophylaxis shots for FREE???

 

[Ben and Me]

Minner, that was really helpful! Thank you!

 

[deg5030]

I know plenty of dr. Who's titers have lasted for 10+ years..not lasting for 4 does sound a little suspicious. Maybe they have changed the formula over the years. I had mine in 2003 and a good titer in 2007 but haven't been titered since. That's an upcoming thing on my list for work but even more so if I get into school.

 

[playsoccer77]

How much does it cost to have a titer done? I was vaccinated in 2007 and wondering whether it would just be cheaper to go ahead and be vaccinated again.

 

[deg5030]

How much does it cost to have a titer done? I was vaccinated in 2007 and wondering whether it would just be cheaper to go ahead and be vaccinated again.

I was doing some research because the human doctors here seem to be clueless. I finally got passed to the infectious disease dept which had it sent out somewhere and my insurance is supposed to cover it so i 'm not real sure. Kansas state does both human and animal titers for like 40$(for human) its just a matter of what the lab would cost to draw and send it out if they don't know where else to send it.

 

[JumpHigherLivie]

Here at MSU, almost everyone that got the pre-exposure series at school first year also had to get re-vax'd this year due to low titres.
I did the post-(potential) exposure series back in early 2007 (I think) and my titre is still high enough.
There was a lot of rumblings around here that it was pretty suspicious that everyone who got them done here on campus had to get them re-done.

 

[Minnerbelle]

How much does it cost to have a titer done? I was vaccinated in 2007 and wondering whether it would just be cheaper to go ahead and be vaccinated again.

It cost me $140 for the titer. I asked if I could just get a booster without the titer, and they said absolutely not... Dunno if there are actual rules about this across the board, or if it was just my PCP, but I'd be prepared to get the titer. You may have cheaper titer options through your school though.

 

[Ben and Me]

Ok, so we now know of a significant portion of students at at least 3 schools (UGA, Penn and MSU - Mississippi or Michigan?) that had to get reboostered.

FYI, there was 1 student in the class of 2012 at Penn who needed a booster. There were ~25 in the class of 2013 (out of ~115).

I just find this whole thing really weird. Anybody know any other members of the Class of 2013 at other schools who also needed boosters?

Might be worth emailing the folks in the rabies lab at KSU to find out more info -- they run all the titers. The lab is run by a vet (VMD, no less!).

 

[Elinara]

I'm the first one (as far as I know) in the UTCVM class of 2013 to have my titer checked, and turns out I do have to get a booster, for $214. Ouch... Will keep you posted if it turns out many more of us need the 4th injection.

 

[elefante7]

A friend of mine in 2013 just got her titer checked and needs reboostered. She didn't get it done with the class, but she did get it done that same year. Most people who got it done with the class will get their titers checked this spring (cause that is when they offer it at school). Could be very interesting... Has anyone looked into this at all yet?

 

[Ben and Me]

Not that I know of, elefante, but based on the info from Penn, UGA and MSU (still not sure which MSU)...plus the unlikelihood that both of the 1st 2 people to be tittered at UT and Wisconsin would come up low (and be the only ones in their class...)

All seems a little fishy to me.

Based on the variation in where folks obtained their vaccines, I'm wondering if they changed something in the lab at KSU? If nothing else, they must be noticing the same trend that we are.

I think I'll shoot the vmd who runs the lab an email. I'll let y'all know what I hear!

 

[eventualeventer]

I'm curious about whether anyone else had to get a titer done a few months after their initial series. Davis does not do this, but when I got my series for work, they drew titers on us to make sure that the 3 shot series was sufficient for our individual immune systems. A FOAF did NOT have a sufficient titer after the 3 shot series. It seems to me that if you never developed a good response in the first place and your titer is low, a single booster 2 years later might not be enough to stimulate a better response. It makes me think of the equine tetanus case I learned about in which the horse had received annual boosters for many years but got tetanus anyway because it had never had the initial series and had never developed an initial response high enough to respond to the boosters.