title: Intestinal helminthes and/or Toxocara infection are unrelated to anti-HBs titers in seven-year-old children vaccinated at birth with recombinant hepatitis B vaccine.
abstract: The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the possible effect of nematode infection on anti-HBs antibody levels in the serum of seven-year-old schoolchildren vaccinated at birth with the recombinant hepatitis B vaccine. Anti-HBs and anti HBc antibodies were evaluated in the sera of 100 schoolchildren with at least one intestinal nematode and/or a positive serological reaction for anti-Toxocara antibodies and in 95 schoolchildren without intestinal helminthiasis or serum anti-Toxocara antibodies. Both groups were from public elementary schools located on the urban periphery of Vitória, ES, Brazil. Among these 195 children, the median anti-HBs antibody titer was 31.3 IU/ml and the frequency of titers less than 10 IU/ml was 33.8% (95% CI: 27.1-40.4%). There were no significant differences between the medians of anti-HBs titers or the frequency of titers less than 10 IU/ml between the groups with or without helminthes (29.5 and 32.9 IU/ml and 33 and 34.7%, respectively; p>0.05). Even when the children with intestinal nematodes and/or anti-Toxocara antibodies and with blood eosinophil counts over 600/mm(3) were compared with children without infection from intestinal nematodes and without anti-Toxocara antibodies, with blood eosinophil counts less than 400 eosinophils/mm(3), these differences were not significant. None of the children presented anti-HBc antibodies. In conclusion, infections with intestinal nematodes and/or the presence of anti-Toxocara antibodies did not interfere with the anti-HBs antibody titers in seven-year-old children vaccinated at birth with the recombinant hepatitis B vaccine.
authors.affiliation: Núcleo de Doenças Infecciosas, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Espirito Santo, Vitória, ES.
authors.forename: Marisa B C L
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Monteiro
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fragoso
authors.forename: Silvio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Foletto
authors.forename: Elenice M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Lemos
authors.forename: Fausto E L
authors.initials: FE
authors.lastname: Pereira
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000909:Antibodies, Helminth / Q000097:blood; D017164:Ascaris lumbricoides / Q000276:immunology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007411:Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic / Q000276:immunology* / Q000469:parasitology; D008297:Male; D009349:Nematode Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000469:parasitology; D014119:Toxocara / Q000276:immunology; D014258:Trichuris / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000909:Antibodies, Helminth; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines