Fall 1996 Volume 1, Number 3		Hepatitis B Z. Nadel and CDC colleagues studied whether antibody response to influenza vaccine predicts response to hepatitis B vaccine. The non-response rate to influenza vaccine was 24% among hepatitis B responders and 33% among non-responders (p=.29), indicating no significant difference. Chronic diseases such as heart or lung disease predicted non-response to both vaccines. A therapeutic hepatitis B vaccine may be feasible, according to investigators from SmithKline Beecham in Belgium led by M. Wettendorf. They described experiments with several hepatitis B vaccine and immunostimulant combinations in HBsAg transgenic mice, an animal model for human HBsAg carriers. One formulation, containing alum and immunostimulants, did appear to stimulate anti-HBs antibody and suppress HBsAg production successfully, leading the investigators to conclude that "breaking of tolerance can be achieved with hepatitis B vaccine formulated with potent immunostimulants."