Evaluation of Three Rubella Vaccines in Adult Women

A currently licensed rubella vaccine, HPV 77, produces arthralgia at high frequency in adult women. Thirty-nine susceptible adult women, ages 18 to 37 years, were inoculated with Cendehill, Benoit B, and Benoit C rubella vaccine strains and evaluated clinically and serologically. Benoit B produced rubellalike disease including polyarthralgia in five of seven women which, in one case, was of five months' duration. The postvaccination course of Benoit C vaccine was benign in all 11 subjects; only two of 28 Cendehill vaccinees had mild, transient arthralgia. Postvaccination hemagglutination-inhibition antibody to levels greater than 1:10 developed in all susceptible subjects. Benoit B vaccinees had the highest titers, Cendehill, intermediate values, while Benoit C titers were rather low. Cendehill and perhaps Benoit C strains appear to be immunogenic and clinically acceptable in adult women.