BACKGROUND: Preventive measures remain the best approach to control the spread of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. PATIENTS AND METHODS: To evaluate the effectiveness of vaccination against HBV, we conducted a 20-year retrospective study on 100 subjects, born to hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive mothers, who had received postexposure prophylaxis at the Clinic of Infectious Diseases (Siena University, Italy) during 1984-2004. All patients were tested for the presence of HBsAg, anti-HBs and anti-HB core antigen (anti-HBc). RESULTS: Two subjects (2%) acquired the infection as shown by the presence of anti-HBc. Of the 98 patients who did not acquire the infection, 62 of these (63.3%) had an anti-HBs concentration considered protective (> or =10 mIU/ml). The percentage of protected subjects decreased in relation to time from vaccination with a significant reduction (p = 0.009) of anti-HBs geometric mean titre (GMT) after 5 years, which reached the level of 10 mIU/ml after about 15 years. No patients without protective concentration have acquired the infection as of today. Only 12% of the HBsAg-positive mothers were followed in specialized structures after pregnancy, reflecting the scarce knowledge of the problem in the general population. CONCLUSION: Our data, while confirming the effectiveness of anti hepatitis B vaccination, highlight the need for postvaccination follow-up, particularly in high-risk categories, to prolong protection, through booster doses if necessary. We show, moreover, the importance of maintaining active surveillance in the territory to improve follow-up to chronic carriers and to sensitize families.
BACKGROUND: Preventive measures remain the best approach to control the spread of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. PATIENTS AND METHODS: To evaluate the effectiveness of vaccination against HBV, we conducted a 20-year retrospective study on 100 subjects, born to hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive mothers, who had received postexposure prophylaxis at the Clinic of Infectious Diseases (Siena University, Italy) during 1984-2004. All patients were tested for the presence of HBsAg, anti-HBs and anti-HB core antigen (anti-HBc). RESULTS: Two subjects (2%) acquired the infection as shown by the presence of anti-HBc. Of the 98 patients who did not acquire the infection, 62 of these (63.3%) had an anti-HBs concentration considered protective (> or =10 mIU/ml). The percentage of protected subjects decreased in relation to time from vaccination with a significant reduction (p = 0.009) of anti-HBs geometric mean titre (GMT) after 5 years, which reached the level of 10 mIU/ml after about 15 years. No patients without protective concentration have acquired the infection as of today. Only 12% of the HBsAg-positive mothers were followed in specialized structures after pregnancy, reflecting the scarce knowledge of the problem in the general population. CONCLUSION: Our data, while confirming the effectiveness of anti hepatitis B vaccination, highlight the need for postvaccination follow-up, particularly in high-risk categories, to prolong protection, through booster doses if necessary. We show, moreover, the importance of maintaining active surveillance in the territory to improve follow-up to chronic carriers and to sensitize families.
Authors: T Stroffolini; A Mele; M E Tosti; G Gallo; E Balocchini; P Ragni; F Santonastasi; A Marzolini; M Ciccozzi; A Moiraghi Journal: J Hepatol Date: 2000-12 Impact factor: 25.083
Authors: L Roznovsky; I Orsagova; A Kloudova; J Tvrdik; L Kabieszova; I Lochman; J Mrazek; L Hozakova; A Zjevikova; L Pliskova Journal: Infection Date: 2010-06-30 Impact factor: 3.553
Authors: T Stroffolini; V Guadagnino; B Caroleo; G De Sarro; A Focà; M C Liberto; A Giancotti; G S Barreca; N Marascio; F L Lombardo; O Staltari Journal: Infection Date: 2011-12-16 Impact factor: 3.553
Authors: Tom A Yates; Karthikeyan Paranthaman; Ly-Mee Yu; Elizabeth Davis; Sarah Lang; Scott J Hackett; Steven B Welch; Andrew J Pollard; Matthew D Snape Journal: Arch Dis Child Date: 2013-03-09 Impact factor: 3.791