In:
Vaccines, MDPI AG, Vol. 9, No. 2 ( 2021-02-10), p. 143-
Abstract:
Measles outbreaks have surfaced in Europe during the last decades. Infants 〈 12 months of age were the most severely affected pediatric population. The aim of this study was to investigate the duration of maternally derived measles antibodies in infants aged 1 to 12 months in relation to maternal humoral immune status and other parameters. In a prospective, cross-sectional cohort study, 124 mother/infant pairs and 63 additional infants were recruited from October 2015 through December 2019. Infants were hospitalized in a university pediatric department of a general hospital. Demographic and epidemiological data were recorded and blood samples were collected from mothers and their infants. Commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used for measuring measles antibodies. Fifty nine percent of mothers had vaccine-induced and 15% infection-acquired measles immunity. Eighty-eight percent and 94% of infants were unprotected by 5 and 10 months of age, respectively. Maternal antibody levels and infant age were significant independent predictors of infants’ antibody levels whereas the method of maternal immunity acquisition, age, and origin [Greek/non-Greek] were not. Our findings suggest that about 90% of infants are susceptible to measles beyond the age of 4 months. To our knowledge, these are the first data from Greece reported under the current community composition and epidemiological conditions.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
2076-393X
DOI:
10.3390/vaccines9020143
Language:
English
Publisher:
MDPI AG
Publication Date:
2021
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2703319-3
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