Pertussis seroimmunity in mother-neonate pairs and other pediatric age groups from Egypt

Abstract

Background: Despite the widespread availability of 2 classes of effectivevaccines, whole cell and acellular, pertussis has resurged as a seriouspublic health problem. We sought to investigate the pertussis immune statusof mother-neonate pairs and children in our country where pertussisvaccination is obligatory. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 75healthy full-term neonates and their mothers, 100 infants (2-24 months), 170children (2-12 years) and 80 adolescents (12-18 years). Serum pertussisIgG was measured in all enrolled subjects. A positive titre was defined as>24 U/ml. Results: Positive pertussis IgG levels were detected in 69 of themothers (92%), in 63 of their newborns (84%). Seroimmunity to pertussiswas positively noted in 55% of infants, 82.2% of preschool children, 77.5%of school-aged children and 75% in adolescents. Serum pertussis IgG titersamong the neonates showed a significant positive correlation with thematernal titers (P=0.00001). Higher rates of pertussis seroimmunity wasobserved among residents in urban and suburban areas as compared tothose living in rural areas (P<0.05) . Conclusion: This pilot study maysuggest the presence of sufficient pertussis seroimmunity rates in the studiedage groups. Still, there were some failures in immune acquisition probablydue to inefficient vaccination in some localities or waning of immunity withage. Wider scale studies would allow better insight into the pertussisimmune status in our country and hence the need for booster immunization.