Higa Futoshi, Haranaga Syusaku, Tateyama Masao, Hibiya Kenji, Yamashiro Tsuyoshi, Nakamatsu Miyuki, Tomoyose Takeaki, Nagahama Masayoshi, Okamura Takayuki, Owan Tomoko, Kuda Tomoharu, Kinjo Fukunori, Fujita Jiro
Infection Control Team, Ryukyu University Hospital, Okinawa 903-0215, Japan.
Jpn J Infect Dis. 2008 Sep;61(5):371-4.
This study comparatively evaluated the titers of the bacterial agglutination (BA) antibody for Bordetella pertussis, anti-pertussis toxin (PT) antibody, and anti-filamentous hemagglutinin (FHA) antibody in the serum of medical staff members. The geometric means of the anti-PT and anti-FHA antibody titers were 5.83 and 17.17 EU/mL, respectively. The positive rates of the BA antibodies against Tohama and Yamaguchi strains (> or = 40x), and anti-PT and anti-FHA antibodies (>10 EU/mL) were 81.3, 72.9, 43.8, and 68.8%, respectively. A high anti-PT antibody titer (>94 EU/mL) was found in 1 staff member, but this individual had no recent respiratory symptoms. The titers of the BA antibody against the Yamaguchi strain were weakly associated with the anti-PT antibody titers, but the BA antibody titer was not useful for predicting anti-PT antibody positivity. The seroprevalence of anti-pertussis antibody among medical staff was heterogeneous, suggesting that this group could be at high risk for pertussis. Judgments made using BA antibody or anti-PA antibody results differ, and thus careful evaluation of anti-pertussis antibody titers is necessary. Prompt and accurate diagnostic tools are crucial for infection control in the hospital setting.
