title: Seroprevalence of varicella antibodies in healthcare workers and health sciences students. Reliability of self-reported history of varicella.
abstract: The objective of this study was to assess the seroprevalence of varicella antibodies in healthcare workers and students of healthcare professions and to determine the validity of the self-reported varicella history for detecting susceptible subjects. Personnel of a general hospital and students were recruited and a 5 mL blood sample was obtained from all participants. A case report form, including previous self-reported history of varicella, was completed. A total of 91 healthcare workers (mean age, 30.6 years; S.D., 4.0; range, 23-40) and 92 students (mean age, 19.8 years; S.D., 2.5; range, 18-25) were recruited. The prevalence of varicella antibodies was 91.2% in healthcare workers and 92.1% in students. Overall, the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of a self-reported history of varicella were 68.4%, 66.7%, 95.4% and 17.2%, respectively. The preferred approach in these groups at risk of varicella will be to undergo serologic testing before immunization in those with negative or unknown history of varicella.
authors.affiliation: Preventive Medicine Service, 12 de Octubre University Hospital, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: De Juanes
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gil
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: San-Martín
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: González
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Esteban
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: García de Codes
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D002644:Chickenpox / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006282:Health Personnel; D014645:Herpesvirus 3, Human / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D013030:Spain; D013336:Students, Health Occupations
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral