[Acellular vaccines (DTPa/dTpa) against whooping cough, protection duration].
BACKGROUND
An increase in whooping cough in most of the developed countries has been detected in the last decade.


OBJECTIVE
To determine whether the administration of dTpa vaccine instead of DTPa fifth dose is contributing to the appearance of these cases.


METHODS
A descriptive study based on cases of whooping cough reported during an epidemic period in the city of Alicante in the first 5 months of 2014. Only pertussis cases confirmed by PCR were included in the study, and only those vaccinated with 5 doses were included in the analysis of the period of protection.


RESULTS
A total of 104 cases of pertussis confirmed by PCR were reported, with 85 cases (82%) having had 5 doses of vaccine. The mean time and standard deviation (SD) of protection was 2.1±1.1 years with dTpa, and 5.1±1.5 years with DTPa (p<.001). In the protection, adjusted for age, it was observed that, after 3 years, only 47.6% of people vaccinated with dTpa were still protected, while people vaccinated with DTPa were 100% protected (P<.001).


CONCLUSIONS
This study found that people who were properly vaccinated against pertussis and received their last re-vaccination dose with dTpa had a shorter period of protection than those who were vaccinated with DTPa.
Sección de Epidemiología, Centro de Salud Pública de Alicante, Alicante, España. Electronic address: rigo_vic@gva.es.
M Vicenta
MV
Rigo-Medrano
Servicio de Medicina Preventiva, Hospital General Universitario de Alicante, Alicante, España.
José L
JL
Mendoza-García
Servicio de Microbiología, Hospital General Universitario de Alicante, Alicante, España.
Adelina
A
Gimeno-Gascón
Sección de Epidemiología, Centro de Salud Pública de Alicante, Alicante, España.
Jorge
J
Roda-Ramón
Sección de Epidemiología, Centro de Salud Pública de Alicante, Alicante, España.
Israel
I
Cremades-Bernabeú
Servicio de Microbiología, Hospital Clínico Universitario de San Juan, Alicante, España.
Pedro
P
Antequera-Rodríguez
Servicio de Pediatría, Hospital General Universitario de Alicante, Alicante, España.
Pedro J
PJ
Alcalá-Minagorre
Servicio de Microbiología, Hospital Clínico Universitario de San Juan, Alicante, España.
Victoria
V
Ortiz-de la Tabla
Servicio de Microbiología, Hospital General Universitario de Alicante, Alicante, España.
Juan Carlos
JC
Rodríguez-Díaz
D022681:Diphtheria-Tetanus-acellular Pertussis Vaccines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D007117:Immunization, Secondary; D010567:Pertussis Vaccine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014611:Vaccination; D022282:Vaccines, Acellular / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014917:Whooping Cough / Q000517:prevention & control*
D022681:Diphtheria-Tetanus-acellular Pertussis Vaccines; D010567:Pertussis Vaccine; D022282:Vaccines, Acellular
Acellular vaccines; Diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis vaccines; Epidemiology; Epidemiología; Pertussis; Tos ferina; Vaccination; Vacunación; Vacunas acelulares; Vacunas contra difteria, tétanos y tos ferina acelular