Each of a series of three hepatitis B (Hep B) inoculations was given to 48 second-year medical students on the 3rd day of a 3-day examination series to study the effect of academic stress on the ability to generate an immune response to a primary antigen. Those students who seroconverted after the first injection (25%) were significantly less stressed and anxious than those who did not seroconvert at that time. In addition, students who reported greater social support demonstrated a stronger immune response to the vaccine at the time of the third inoculation, as measured by antibody titers to Hep B surface antigen (HBsAg) and the blastogenic response to a HBsAg peptide (SAg).

Stress-induced modulation of the immune response to recombinant hepatitis B vaccine.