Seroprevalence of IgG antibodies to pertussis toxin in children and adolescents in Estonia

Piia Jõgi; Marje Oona; Karolin Toompere; Sirje Leedo; Jevgenia Epstein; Irja Lutsar

doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2014.07.066

Seroprevalence of IgG antibodies to pertussis toxin in children and adolescents in Estonia

Vaccine. 2014 Sep 15;32(41):5311-5. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2014.07.066. Epub 2014 Aug 3.

Authors

Piia Jõgi¹, Marje Oona², Karolin Toompere³, Sirje Leedo⁴, Jevgenia Epstein⁵, Irja Lutsar⁶

Affiliations

¹ The Institute of Microbiology, University of Tartu, Ravila 19, 50411 Tartu, Estonia; Children's Clinic of Tartu University Hospital, Lunini 6, 51014 Tartu, Estonia. Electronic address: Piia.Jogi@kliinikum.ee.
² Department of Family Medicine, University of Tartu, Puusepa 1a, 50406 Tartu, Estonia.
³ Department of Public Health, University of Tartu, Ravila 19, 50411 Tartu, Estonia.
⁴ Department of the Children's Clinic, United Laboratories, Tartu University Hospital, Lunini 6, 51014 Tartu, Estonia.
⁵ Department of Communicable Disease Surveillance and Control, Health Board, Paldiski mnt 81, 10617 Tallinn, Estonia.
⁶ The Institute of Microbiology, University of Tartu, Ravila 19, 50411 Tartu, Estonia.

PMID: 25093282
DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2014.07.066

Abstract

Background and aims: Despite high immunisation coverage and frequent booster doses, the national notification rates of pertussis in Estonia have been increasing. The peak of 97/100,000 was reached in 2010 which is the highest incidence rate since 1962 (210/100,000). We aimed to measure the prevalence of pertussis toxin (PT) IgG type antibodies in subjects of <18 years and to estimate the pertussis infection activity in a recently non-immunised cohort.

Methods: In a cross-sectional serosurvey, all consecutive leftover sera were collected in the Tartu University Hospital during April-August 2012. Anti-PT IgG concentration was measured by commercial ELISA and analysed in yearly cohorts. The antibody concentrations ≥62.5 IU/mL was considered suggestive to pertussis in the last year among 9- to 14-year-olds.

Results: The GMC of the anti-PT-IgG was 7.4 IU/mL (95% CI 6.9-8.0). In the total of 1053 serum samples, the highest proportion of sera with high antibody titres ≥125 IU/mL and ≥62.5 IU/mL were at the ages when pertussis vaccine boosters were given: 7 years 10.9% (95% CI 4.1-22.3) and 2 years 36.9% (95% CI 25.3-49.8), respectively. Approximately half of all sera had undetectable anti-PT IgG levels. The estimated incidence of Bordetella pertussis infection among 9- to 14-year-olds in the year before serum sampling was 6.3% (95% CI 3.3-10.8), which is at least 60 times higher than the officially reported incidence of pertussis disease in respective years.

Conclusions: The serologic method is not suitable for diagnosing pertussis in instances when the last pertussis immunisation was less than one year ago. The relatively high proportion of subjects with undetectable anti-PT IgG levels and the relatively low rate of officially reported pertussis cases suggest that low antibody levels do not necessarily indicate the absence of protection. The estimated incidence rate of pertussis is much higher than officially reported figures, which suggests that asymptomatic/mild B. pertussis infection remains unrecognised and unreported.

Keywords: Anti-PT IgG; Immunisation; Pertussis incidence; Seroepidemiology; Whooping cough.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Antibodies, Bacterial / blood*
Child
Cross-Sectional Studies
Estonia / epidemiology
Humans
Immunoglobulin G / blood*
Pertussis Toxin / immunology*
Pertussis Vaccine / therapeutic use*
Prevalence
Seroepidemiologic Studies
Whooping Cough / epidemiology
Whooping Cough / prevention & control

Substances

Antibodies, Bacterial
Immunoglobulin G
Pertussis Vaccine
Pertussis Toxin