title: Prevalence of susceptibility to tetanus and diphtheria in health care workers in Catalonia.
abstract: A seroprevalence study of tetanus and diphtheria was carried out in a sample of 537 health care workers in Catalonia. The prevalence of protective antibodies against tetanus was 93.9% (95% confidence interval: 91.5-95.7). The prevalence of protective antibodies against diphtheria was 46.4% (95% confidence interval: 42.1-50.7). Tetanus protection should be improved in health care workers born before 1975. The immune status against diphtheria was poor, with less than half of people born before 1975 correctly immunized.
authors.affiliation: Hospital Germans Trias, Badalona, Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. mariaesteve.germanstrias@gencat.cat
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Esteve
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Domínguez
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Urbiztondo
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Borrás
authors.forename: Josep
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.forename: Sonia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Broner
authors.forename: Magda
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Campins
authors.forename: Jose Maria
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Bayas
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood; D004165:Diphtheria / Q000276:immunology*; D004198:Disease Susceptibility / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006282:Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D013030:Spain; D013742:Tetanus / Q000276:immunology*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial