Abstract
BackgroundPertussis is a vaccine-preventable disease, yet an increasing incidence of pertussis occurs in many countries. Thailand has a long-standing pertussis vaccination policy, therefore most expectant mothers today had received vaccines as children. The resurgence of pertussis among Thai infants in recent years led us to examine the pre-existing antibodies to Bordetella pertussis antigens in a cohort of 90 pregnant women.MethodsWe evaluated the IgG to the Pertussis toxin (PT), filamentous hemagglutinin (FHA) and pertactin (PRN) in maternal and cord blood sera using commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA).ResultsWhen values of >10 IU/ml were accepted as potential protective concentrations, we found that the percentages of unprotected infants were 73.3%, 43.3% and 75.5% for anti-PT, anti-FHA and anti-PRN IgG, respectively.DiscussionThese results may explain the susceptibility for pertussis among newborn infants in Thailand and support the requirement for a pertussis booster vaccine during pregnancy, which may contribute to the passive seroprotection among newborns during the first months of life.
Highlights
Countries with universal pertussis vaccination have experienced pertussis resurgence in recent years especially those implementing the acellular pertussis vaccines (Clarke et al, 2013; Octavia et al, 2012; Van der Maas et al, 2013; Winter et al, 2014)
To evaluate the susceptibility to pertussis among infants born to Thai mothers, we aimed to determine the baseline concentration of IgG against Pertussis toxin (PT), filamentous hemagglutinin (FHA) and PRN in pregnant women who did not receive pertussis vaccination during pregnancy
To determine whether expectant mothers in recent years possessed any immunity against B. pertussis, we tested a cohort of convenient serum samples for anti-PT, anti-FHA, and anti-PRN IgG obtained from mothers and the cord blood, the latter of which served as a surrogate for infant blood samples at birth
Summary
Countries with universal pertussis vaccination have experienced pertussis resurgence in recent years especially those implementing the acellular pertussis (aP) vaccines (Clarke et al, 2013; Octavia et al, 2012; Van der Maas et al, 2013; Winter et al, 2014). Vaccination during pregnancy boosts the immune response against B. pertussis in expectant mothers and affords the transplacental transfer of antibodies to the baby, conferring protection to pertussis in infants during the first few months of life (Hoang et al, 2016; Maertens et al, 2016; Munoz et al, 2014; Vizzotti et al, 2016). The resurgence of pertussis among Thai infants in recent years led us to examine the preexisting antibodies to Bordetella pertussis antigens in a cohort of 90 pregnant women. These results may explain the susceptibility for pertussis among newborn infants in Thailand and support the requirement for a pertussis booster vaccine during pregnancy, which may contribute to the passive seroprotection among newborns during the first months of life
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