SKIN TESTING WITH KILLED VACCINIA VIRUS WHICH IS RELATED TO SMALLPOX IS A SIMPLE AND RELIABLE WAY OF PREDICTING RESIDUAL IMMUNITY TO SMALLPOX A STUDY SHOWS ACCORDING TO REUTERS0 'RESIDUAL IMMUNE RESPONSE DECADES AFTER SMALLPOX VACCINATION IS IMPORTANT FOR PUBLIC HEALTH AND VACCINE DEVELOPMENT' THE STUDY TEAM NOTES0 THE CURRENT FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT SKIN TESTING WITH INACTIVATED VACCINIA VIRUS IS USEFUL IN ASSESSING THIS RESPONSE THEY ADD0 DR0 MYOUNG-DON OH FROM THE SEOUL NATIONAL UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL IN SOUTH KOREA AND COLLEAGUES ADMINISTERED THE SKIN TEST TO 83 SUBJECTS 63 OF WHOM HAD A HISTORY OF SMALLPOX VACCINATION0 TWO DAYS LATER ALL OF THE SUBJECTS UNDERWENT SMALLPOX VACCINATION0 THE APPEARANCE OF SKIN LESIONS AFTER VACCINATION WAS USED TO DETERMINE IMMUNITY STATUS0 PUSTULES 8 DAYS AFTER VACCINATION INDICATED A LACK OF RESIDUAL IMMUNITY WHEREAS A RAPIDLY EVOLVING AREA OF HARDENING AROUND A CENTRAL LESION INDICATED THE PRESENCE OF IMMUNITY THE RESEARCHERS EXPLAIN IN THE JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES0 THIRTY SUBJECTS SHOWED A LACK OF RESIDUAL IMMUNITY 34 DISPLAYED RESIDUAL IMMUNITY AND 19 HAD INDETERMINANT RESULTS AND WERE EXCLUDED FROM FURTHER ANALYSIS0 ALL TOLD THE SKIN TEST HAD AN 85 PERCENT SENSITIVITY AND A 97 PERCENT SPECIFICITY IN PREDICTING RESIDUAL IMMUNITY TO SMALLPOX0 BY CONTRAST OTHER MEASURES OF ASSESSING RESIDUAL IMMUNITY SUCH AS THE VACCINIA-SPECIFIC T CELL RESPONSE AND THE PRESENCE OF NEUTRALIZING ANTIBODIES WERE NOT AS SENSITIVE OR SPECIFIC AS SKIN TESTING IN PREDICTING RESIDUAL IMMUNITY0
