Age-related antibody response to Orthopoxviruses and implications for public health measures: Insights from a South Korean study

Yujin Kim; Green Kim; Gukhui Min; YoungMin Woo; Kyong Ran Peck; Jung Joo Hong; Sun Bean Kim

doi:10.1016/j.jiph.2024.04.002

Age-related antibody response to Orthopoxviruses and implications for public health measures: Insights from a South Korean study

J Infect Public Health. 2024 Apr 5;17(6):956-960. doi: 10.1016/j.jiph.2024.04.002. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Yujin Kim¹, Green Kim¹, Gukhui Min², YoungMin Woo², Kyong Ran Peck³, Jung Joo Hong⁴, Sun Bean Kim⁵

Affiliations

¹ National Primate Research Centre, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), Cheongju, Chungcheongbuk, South Korea.
² National Primate Research Centre, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), Cheongju, Chungcheongbuk, South Korea; KRIBB School of Bioscience, Korea University of Science & Technology (UST), Daejeon, South Korea.
³ Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
⁴ National Primate Research Centre, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), Cheongju, Chungcheongbuk, South Korea; KRIBB School of Bioscience, Korea University of Science & Technology (UST), Daejeon, South Korea. Electronic address: hong75@kribb.re.kr.
⁵ Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University Anam Hospital, Seoul, South Korea. Electronic address: puppybin@gmail.com.

PMID: 38608456
DOI: 10.1016/j.jiph.2024.04.002

Abstract

Background: After the eradication of smallpox, there have been no specific public health measures for any Orthopoxviruses (OPXVs). Therefore, it is necessary to countermeasure OPXV infections after Mpox (formerly monkeypox) occurrences, such as the latest global outbreak in 2022-2023. This study aimed to provide crucial insights for the development of effective public health policy making against mpox in populations residing in regions where the virus is not prevalent.

Methods: This study used enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) to examine smallpox and mpox antibodies in Koreans with three different age groups. We analyzed 56 sera obtained from a tertiary care hospital in South Korea between September 2022 and April 2023. Plasma levels of antibodies against the viral proteins of smallpox (variola cytokine response-modifying protein B) and MPXV (A29) were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays.

Results: Plasma samples from participants in their early 40 s and older exhibited higher reactivity to viral antigens than those from younger participants. Furthermore, there was a strong positive correlation in antibody positivity for the two different viruses across the sera.

Conclusions: The presence of low antibody levels in participants ˂40 years may hinder their ability to defend against OPXV. Therefore, it is imperative to implement effective public health measures to mitigate the transmission of OPXV within the community. These findings serve as fundamental information for devising strategies to combat mpox efficiently, particularly in regions where the virus is not prevalent.

Keywords: Cross-reactivity; Herd immunity; Mpox; Orthopoxvirus; Smallpox.