6533b7d3fe1ef96bd126140a
RESEARCH PRODUCT
Predictors of Hepatitis B Surface Antigen Titers two decades after vaccination in a cohort of students and post-graduates of the Medical School at the University of Palermo, Italy
Maria Gabriella VersoN. Lo CascioE. Noto LaddecaE. AmodioS. StellinoM. CurrieriG. GiammancoD. FerraroS. GraziaD. Picciottosubject
0301 basic medicineMaleHBsAgSettore MED/07 - Microbiologia E Microbiologia ClinicaStudents Medicalmedicine.disease_causeLogistic regressionCohort Studies0302 clinical medicine030212 general & internal medicineChildWaste Management and DisposalHBV infectionlcsh:Environmental sciencesSchools Medicallcsh:GE1-350Anti-HBs titreHepatitis BVaccinationCohortFemaleAdultmedicine.medical_specialtyHepatitis B virusAdolescent030106 microbiologyHBV infection HBV vaccination Anti-HBs titre Healthcare students postgraduate medical studentsHealthcare studentslcsh:Agriculture03 medical and health sciencesYoung AdultInternal medicinemedicineHumansHepatitis B VaccinesHepatitis B AntibodiesStudentsEcology Evolution Behavior and SystematicsHBV vaccinationHepatitis B virusHepatitis B Surface Antigensbusiness.industrySettore MED/44 - Medicina Del Lavorolcsh:SPublic Health Environmental and Occupational HealthOdds ratioConfidence intervalpostgraduate medical studentsCross-Sectional StudiesImmunologyObservational studybusinessBiomarkersFollow-Up Studiesdescription
Introduction and objective. The introduction of a vaccine against hepatitis B virus (HBV) for newborn babies in Italy in 1991, extended to 12-year-old children for the first 12 years of application, has been a major achievement in terms of the prevention of HBV infection. The objective of this study was to analyse the long-term immunogenicity and effectiveness of HBV vaccination among healthcare students with different working seniorities. Materials and method. A cross-sectional observational study of undergraduate and postgraduate students attending the Medical School of the University of Palermo was conducted from January 2014 – July 2016. HBV serum markers were performed with commercial chemiluminescence assays. Categorical variables were analyzed using the chi-square test (Mantel–Haenszel), whereas means were compared by using the Student’s t test. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were also calculated by a multivariable logistic regression, using a model constructed to examine predictors of anti-HBs titer above 10 mIU/mL, assumed as protective. Results. Of the 2,114 subjects evaluated – all vaccinated at infancy or at the age of 12 years and were HBsAg/anti-HBc negative – 806 (38.1%) had an anti-HBs titre <10 IU/L. The latter were younger, more likely to be attending a healthcare profession school (i.e., nursing and midwifery), than a medical postgraduate level school, and more likely to have been vaccinated in infancy (p <0.001, 95% CI 2.63–5.26, adjusted OR 3.70). Conclusion. The results of the study suggest that assessment of HBV serum markers in workers potentially exposed to hospital infections is useful for identifying small numbers of unvaccinated subjects, or vaccinated subjects with low antibody titre, all of whom should be referred to a booster series of vaccinations.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-06-12 |