0000000000237774
AUTHOR
G. Rigo
Prevalence of cytomegalovirus infection in Italy
SUMMARYBetween 1987 and 1989, the prevalence of antibody to cytomegalovirus (CMV) was determined, by the ELISA method, in serum samples from 1494 apparently healthy subjects, 3–18 years old. Subjects were selected by a systematic cluster sampling from five geographical areas in Italy. The overall prevalence of antibody was 64·2%, increasing from 54·4% in 4–6-year-olds to 73·3% in subjects 17–18 years old (P < 0·01). Prevalence of antibody was significantly higher in females (P < 0·05) and in subjects residing in the South of Italy (P < 0·01). A significant association was found with sociodemographic factors. Subjects belonging to a household with six or more persons had a 1·5-fold …
Effect of priming with diphtheria and tetanus toxoids combined with whole-cell pertussis vaccine or with acellular pertussis vaccine on the safety and immunogenicity of a booster dose of an acellular pertussis vaccine containing a genetically inactivated pertussis toxin in fifteen- to twenty-one-month-old children. Italian Multicenter Group for the Study of Recombinant Acellular Pertussis Vaccine.
Objective: To evaluate the safety and the immunogenicity of a booster dose of recombinant acellular pertussis vaccine combined with diphtheria and tetanus toxoids (DTaP, Biocine SpA) in 15- to 21-month-old children primed in infancy with either whole-cell diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTwP) vaccine or DTaP vaccine. Design: Open-label second phase of a double-masked, controlled trail, with masked analysis of serum samples. Participants and setting: Three hundred fifty children, 15 to 21 months of age, who had been primed at 2, 4, and 6 months of age with either three doses of DTaP vaccine (n = 173) or DTwP vaccine (n = 177). The children were enrolled in eight vaccination centers in Italy. I…
Immunity to diphtheria in the 3–19 year age group in Italy
In Italy, immunization with diphtheria toxoid has been compulsory for all newborns since 1939. The last two clinical cases of diphtheria were reported in 1987. During the period 1987-1989, immunity against diphtheria was assessed by neutralization test in a random sample of 1740 healthy subjects 3-19 years old, from five geographical areas of Italy. Of the total population, 76.5% showed antibody levels considered to be protective (greater than or equal to 0.1 IU ml-1), 17.2% had a relative degree of protection (0.01-0.09 IU ml-1), and 6.3% lacked immunity (less than 0.01 IU ml-1). The percentage of unprotected subjects increased from 6.1% in the age group of 3-5 years to 11.4% in the age gr…
Baseline seroepidemiology of hepatitis A virus infection among children and teenagers in Italy.
During the period from May 1987 through November 1989, the prevalence of antibodies to hepatitis A virus infection (anti-HAV) was assayed by the ELISA method in the serum samples of 5,507 (54% males, 46% females) apparently healthy subjects three to 19 years old in Italy. Subjects were selected by a systematic cluster sampling in five different geographical areas of Italy. The overall prevalence of anti-HAV was 9.5%; it increased from 2.3% among children three to five-years-old to 16.3% in teenagers 17 to 19 years old (p less than 0.001). A slight preponderance of females was observed (10% versus 9.1%), but the difference was not statistically significant. The prevalence was significantly h…
Seroepidemiology of Pertussis in Italy
During 1988 and 1989 the prevalence of serum IgG antibodies to pertussis toxin in a sample of 3,875 unvaccinated, apparently healthy persons between the ages of 1 year to 19 years was estimated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The participants were recruited by means of systematic cluster sampling from public and private schools in five geographic areas of Italy. The overall prevalence of IgG antibodies was 80.8%, with a steady increase from 33.5% among 1- to 3-year-old children to 95% among 17- to 19-year-old individuals. The prevalence of natural immunity was 50% and 75% at the ages of 4 and 6 years, respectively. No gender-related difference in immunity was observed. For children gr…
Baseline sero-epidemiology of hepatitis B virus infection in children and teenagers in Italy. A survey before mass hepatitis B vaccination
During the period May 1987 to November 1989, the prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) markers was determined by ELISA in serum samples of 7405 (55% male, 45% female) apparently healthy persons 3-19 years of age in Italy. Earlier studies of adults there had shown an intermediate degree of HBV endemicity (hepatitis B surface antigen carrier rate greater than 2%). Persons were selected by systematic cluster sampling in five different geographical areas of Italy. The overall prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) was 0.6%. The overall prevalence of at least one marker of HBV was 2.8%; it increased from 1.7% among children 3-5 years of age to 4.5% in teenagers 17-19 years of age (P l…