Comparison of Bordetella pertussis Antibody Levels in Pregnant Women and Umbilical Cord Blood: A Multicenter Study.

BACKGROUND: In countries where pertussis vaccination is not administered during pregnancy, the determination of pertussis antibody levels in pregnant women is very important in terms of knowing the current seroepidemiology and potential strategies for immunizations. METHODS: We included 396 pregnant women who were admitted to 4 different obstetrics and gynecology clinics. Anti-Bordetella pertussis toxin (PT) IgG and anti-Bordetella pertussis filamentous hemagglutinin IgG levels in maternal and cord blood pairs were determined by the ELISA method. RESULTS: Venous blood serum anti-PT level was below 5 IU/mL in 58.8%, 5-40 IU/mL in 34.8%, 40-100 IU/mL in 5.1% and >100 IU/mL in 1.3% of pregnant women. Cord blood serum anti-PT level was below 5 IU/mL in 47.7%, 5-40 IU/mL in 44.5%, 40-100 IU/mL in 6.8% and >100 IU/mL in 1% of pregnant women. In our study, the anti-PT level was found below 40 IU/mL in 93.6% of pregnant women and 92.2% of cord blood. Our study found the anti-filamentous hemagglutinin level below 40 IU/mL in 81% of pregnant women and 66.2% of cord blood. CONCLUSIONS: Although it is known that pertussis causes serious morbidity and mortality in young infants all over the world and that the most effective and reliable way to prevent it is vaccination of pregnant women, it is a remarkable contradiction that pertussis vaccination rates and therefore seropositivity rates in pregnant women are very low.

The pattern of chromosomal abnormalities in recurrent miscarriages: a single center retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Chromosomal abnormalities are more common in first trimester recurrent miscarriages (RM). Chromosomal anomalies affect approximately 2%-8% of couples with RM. OBJECTIVES: Evaluate the spectrum and the frequencies of chromosomal anomalies in RM. DESIGN: A retrospective hospital record-based descriptive study. SETTING: A tertiary care center in Turkey. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We studied couples with RM between October 2020 and January 2022. Relevant family and medical history, clinical examination and the results of karyotype were statistically analyzed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Prevalence and types of chromosomal aberrations in couples with RM. SAMPLE SIZE: 362 couples with a history of RM RESULTS: Among the 362 couples, 14 cases (3.86%) had chromosome abnormalities. Eight cases (57.14%) were structural anomalies and six cases (42.86%) were numerical chromosomal aberrations. We found five balanced translocations (67.5%) and three Robertsonian translocations (37.5%). The prevalence of polymorphic variants was 51/362 (14.1%). CONCLUSIONS: This study supports the conclusion that clinicians should understand the importance of chromosome analysis in these couples and direct them to karyotyping after two abortions in order to exclude the possibility of a genetic cause of RM. LIMITATIONS: Single-center study and retrospective. CONFLICT OF INTEREST: None.