Long -term persistence of antibodies against varicella in fully immunized healthcare workers: an Italian retrospective cohort study

Autor: Pasquale Stefanizzi, Francesco Paolo Bianchi, Silvio Tafuri, Angela Maria Vittoria Larocca, Cinzia Germinario
Rok vydání: 2021
Předmět:
Male
0301 basic medicine
Herpesvirus 3
Human
Pediatrics
Varicella vaccine
viruses
Infectious and parasitic diseases
RC109-216
Booster dose
Antibodies
Viral
medicine.disease_cause
Disease Outbreaks
Immunogenicity
Vaccine
Chickenpox
0302 clinical medicine
Seroepidemiologic Studies
Third varicella dose
030212 general & internal medicine
Cross Infection
education.field_of_study
integumentary system
Vaccination
virus diseases
Duration of immunization
Treatment Outcome
Infectious Diseases
Italy
Varicella zoster virus
Population study
Female
Adult
medicine.medical_specialty
Adolescent
Long-term immunogenicity
Health Personnel
Population
Immunization
Secondary
Chickenpox Vaccine
Young Adult
03 medical and health sciences
medicine
Humans
Healthcare workers
Seroconversion
education
Retrospective Studies
business.industry
Research
biochemical phenomena
metabolism
and nutrition
medicine.disease
030104 developmental biology
Immunization
Immunoglobulin G
business
Zdroj: BMC Infectious Diseases, Vol 21, Iss 1, Pp 1-7 (2021)
BMC Infectious Diseases
ISSN: 1471-2334
Popis: Background Chickenpox is a highly contagious disease caused by the varicella zoster virus (VZV), and in infants, adolescents, adults, pregnant women, and the immunocompromised it can be serious. The best way to prevent chickenpox is immunization with the varicella vaccine. Protective levels of antibodies induced by the varicella vaccine decline over time, but there is currently no formal recommendation for testing anti-varicella zoster virus (VZV) IgG levels in immunized healthcare workers (HCWs). Methods The aims of this study were to evaluate the seroprevalence of circulating anti-VZV IgG in a sample a sample of students and residents of the medical school of the University of Bari, the long-term immunogenicity of the varicella vaccine, and the effectiveness of a strategy consisting of a third vaccine booster dose. The study population was screened as part of a biological risk assessment conducted between April 2014 and October 2020. A strategy for the management of non-responders was also examined. Results The 182 students and residents included in the study had a documented history of immunization (two doses of varicella vaccine). The absence of anti-VZV IgG was determined in 34% (62/182; 95%CI = 27.2–41.4%), with serosusceptibility more common among males than females (p Conclusions One-third of the study population immunized against VZV lacked a protective antibody titer, but a third dose of vaccine restored protection. Since it is highly unlikely that VZV will be eliminated in the immediate future, the loss of immunity in a substantial portion of the population implies a risk of varicella outbreaks in the coming years. Screening for varicella immunity in routine assessments of the biological risk of medical students and HCWs may help to prevent nosocomial VZV infections.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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