Seroprotection against tetanus in the Italian general population.
Vaccine
; 42(19): 4040-4045, 2024 Jul 25.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38762356
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Tetanus is a non-communicable disease, preventable with vaccination. Despite the implemented vaccination strategy, a certain number of tetanus cases per year continue to occur. The aim of the study was to evaluate the seroprevalence of anti-tetanus antibodies in the Italian population by age, sex and geographical area.METHODS:
To determine the level of tetanus-specific antibodies, an immunoenzymatic assay was used.RESULTS:
A total of 3,821 serum samples were collected in the years 2019-20 from healthy subjects aged 6-90 years residing in 13 Italian regions. Overall, 85 % of the tested subjects resulted positive. The rate of subjects protected against tetanus showed a gradual decrease from the younger age groups to the older ones (6-12 years 93.6 %, 13-24 years 91.8 %, 25-39 years 91.0 %, 40-64 years 78.2 %, ≥ 65 years 45.3 %); this is particularly evident in the Southern regions and Islands. Moreover, the prevalence of subjects with low protection (<0.1 IU/ml) was significantly higher in the ≥ 65 age group (10.3 %). Males and females' prevalence showed a significant difference only in the oldest age group (M 60.8 %, F 30.4 %). In general, a higher prevalence was observed for Northern (90.8 %) and Central regions (87.3 %) than Southern regions and Islands (80.0 %).CONCLUSION:
These data, compared with epidemiological ones which showed a high number of cases in the elderly, confirmed that the population with lower protection has a greater risk of contracting the disease, demonstrating the need for adequate immunization through both primary vaccination and boosters for all ages and both sexes, in order to provide lifelong protection.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Tétano
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Toxoide Tetânico
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Anticorpos Antibacterianos
Limite:
Adolescent
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Adult
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Aged
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Aged80
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Child
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Female
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Humans
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Male
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Middle aged
País/Região como assunto:
Europa
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Vaccine
Ano de publicação:
2024
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Itália