J Korean Med Sci.  2014 May;29(5):652-656. 10.3346/jkms.2014.29.5.652.

Pertussis Seroprevalence in Korean Adolescents and Adults Using Anti-Pertussis Toxin Immunoglobulin G

• Lee SY
• Han SB
• Bae EY
• Kim JH
• Kang JH
• Park YJ
• Ma SH

• KMID: 1786105
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2014.29.5.652

Abstract

This study was conducted to evaluate age-specific seroprevalence of pertussis in Korea and to formulate a strategy to prevent and reduce the incidence of pertussis. Residual serum samples of healthy adolescents and adults 11 yr of age or older were collected between July 2012 and December 2012, and anti-pertussis toxin (PT) IgG titers were measured using a commercial ELISA kit. We compared the mean anti-PT IgG titers and seroprevalence of pertussis of the six age groups: 11-20, 21-30, 31-40, 41-50, 51-60, and > or = 61 yr. A total of 1,192 subjects were enrolled. The mean anti-PT IgG titer and pertussis seroprevalence were 35.53 +/- 62.91 EU/mL and 41.4%, respectively. The mean anti-PT IgG titers and seroprevalence were not significantly different between the age groups. However, the seroprevalence in individuals 51 yr of age or older was significantly higher than in individuals younger than 51 yr (46.5% vs 39.1%, P = 0.017). Based on these results, a new pertussis prevention strategy is necessary for older adults.

Keyword

Pertussis Vaccine; Prevalence; Korea; Vaccination

MeSH Terms

Adolescent
Adult
Aging
Antibodies, Bacterial/*blood
Bordetella pertussis/*immunology
Child
Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
Female
Humans
Immunoglobulin G/*blood/immunology
Incidence
Male
Middle Aged
Pertussis Toxin/blood/*immunology
Pertussis Vaccine/immunology
Republic of Korea/epidemiology
Seroepidemiologic Studies
Vaccination
Whooping Cough/blood/*epidemiology
Young Adult
Antibodies, Bacterial
Immunoglobulin G
Pertussis Toxin
Pertussis Vaccine

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Mean anti-PT IgG titer (line) and pertussis seroprevalence (bar) according to the age groups in each gender.

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  Fig. 2 Comparison of mean anti-PT IgG titer and pertussis seroprevalence between individuals 51 yr of age or older and individuals less than 51 yr of age.

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