title: Prevalence and correlates of diphtheria toxin antibodies among young adults in Israel.
abstract: The paucity of information about immunity against diphtheria of young adults in Israel prompted us to analyse sera from a random sample of 480 recruits (263 males and 217 females) aged 18-19 years. Antitoxin antibody levels were determined by means of ELISA. Of the recruits 58.1% had antibody values greater than 0.1 IU/ml; 38.5% had amounts between 0.01 and 0.1 IU/ml, which is considered low when using the ELISA method, and 3.3% had less than 0.01 IU/ml. The results of this study suggest that a booster dose of antidiphtheria vaccine should be given to adults in Israel in order to ensure adequate antibody levels.
authors.affiliation: Medical Corps, Israel Defense Force, Jerusalem.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Katzenelson
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Green
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Slepon
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bercovier
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Danon
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology*; D004165:Diphtheria / Q000276:immunology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D004167:Diphtheria Toxin / Q000276:immunology*; D004522:Educational Status; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007115:Immunization Schedule; D007117:Immunization, Secondary; D007557:Israel; D008297:Male; D008889:Military Personnel; D015995:Prevalence
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D004167:Diphtheria Toxin