Seroprevalance of Bordetella pertussis antibodies among healthy adolescent girls in Edirne.
OBJECTIVE
Immune response against pertussis can be induced by infection and/or vaccination and vaccine induced immunity is known to wane within the decade following vaccination. Our aim was to assess the pertussis immune response among adolescent girls in the province of Edirne in Turkey. In addition we determined the relationship between the immune response and age, residence, and vaccination status.


METHODS
Serum samples were collected from 359 adolescent girls, 12 to 17 years old. The subjects were selected by systematic randomisation from school rosters and sampled by age and urban-rural residence strata proportional to the corresponding distributions in the Edirne population. Pertussis immunity was determined by an in-house quantitative ELISA method for anti-PT and anti-FHA antibodies.


RESULTS
Protective levels of antibody (>10 EU/ml) for anti-pertussis toxin and anti-filamentous heamagglutinin were found in 95.3% and 97.2% of the overall study group respectively. In 12- to 14-year-olds protective levels were shown in 94.1% and 97.0%, in 15- to 17-year-olds in 97.5% and 97.5%, in rural areas in 96.7% and 97.5%, and in urban areas in 94.5% and 97.5%, respectively (p >0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
The high percentages of protective levels of antibodies in our study population might be an indicator of previous infections, which are a threat to infants who have not completed primary immunisation. In this respect, adult immunisation should be considered.
Vatansever
Ulfet
U
Trakya University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Paediatrics, Edirne, Turkey. uvatansever@trakya.edu.tr
Cöplü
Nilay
N
Oner
Naci
N
Sönmez
Cemile
C
Karasalihoglu
Serap
S
Kurtoglu
Demet
D
Esen
Berrin
B
Ekuklu
Galip
G
D000293:Adolescent; D000917:Antibody Formation; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D012424:Rural Population; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology; D014505:Urban Population; D014611:Vaccination / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014917:Whooping Cough / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000517:prevention & control