title: Seroprevalance of Bordetella pertussis antibodies among healthy adolescent girls in Edirne.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Trakya University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Paediatrics, Edirne, Turkey. uvatansever@trakya.edu.tr
authors.forename: Ulfet
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Vatansever
authors.forename: Nilay
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Cöplü
authors.forename: Naci
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Oner
authors.forename: Cemile
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sönmez
authors.forename: Serap
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Karasalihoglu
authors.forename: Demet
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kurtoglu
authors.forename: Berrin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Esen
authors.forename: Galip
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ekuklu
mesh_terms: 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