title: Prevalence of antibodies against seasonal influenza A and B viruses in children in Netherlands.
abstract: To gain insight into the age at which children become infected with influenza viruses for the first time, we analyzed the seroprevalence of antibodies against influenza viruses in children 0 to 7 years of age in the Netherlands. Serum samples were collected during a cross-sectional population-based study in 2006 and 2007 and were tested for the presence of antibodies against influenza A/H1N1, A/H3N2, and B viruses representative of viruses present in previous influenza seasons using the hemagglutination inhibition assay. The seroprevalence of antibodies to influenza virus was higher in children 1 to 6 months of age than in children 7 to 12 months of age, which likely reflects the presence of maternally derived antibodies. The proportion of study subjects >1 year of age with detectable antibodies against influenza viruses gradually increased with age until they reached the age of 6 years, when they all had antibodies to at least one influenza A virus. These findings may have implications for the development of vaccination strategies aiming at the protection of young children against seasonal and/or pandemic influenza virus infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Virology, Erasmus Medical Center, P.O. Box 2040, 3000 CA Rotterdam, Netherlands.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bodewes
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: de Mutsert
authors.forename: F R M
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: van der Klis
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ventresca
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wilks
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Koopmans
authors.forename: R A M
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Fouchier
authors.forename: A D M E
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Osterhaus
authors.forename: G F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Rimmelzwaan
mesh_terms: D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006385:Hemagglutination Inhibition Tests; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D053118:Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype / Q000276:immunology*; D053122:Influenza A Virus, H3N2 Subtype / Q000276:immunology*; D009981:Influenza B virus / Q000276:immunology*; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral