Long-term persistence of poliovirus neutralizing antibodies in the era of polio elimination: An Italian retrospective cohort study.

Abstract Introduction The extensive use of oral and inactivated poliovirus (PV) vaccines has driven progress toward the global eradication of wild PV2 and PV3 and the elimination of PV1 in most countries, including Italy. Although the persistence of circulating neutralizing antibodies among the vaccinated is unclear, it is estimated that > 99% of the population vaccinated according to the recommended protocol should be protected for at least 18 years. Methods This study evaluated the seroprevalence of anti-PV neutralizing antibodies and the long-term immunogenicity of the oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV) in a sample of medical students and residents of the University of Bari who attended the Hygiene Department for a biological risk assessment between April 2014 and October 2020. Results The prevalence of protected vaccinated individuals was > 90% for PV1, PV2, and PV3. Specifically, >99% of the study group was protected against PV1, > 98% against PV2, and almost 93% against PV3. Protective antibodies against all three viruses persisted for at least up to 18 years after administration of the last OPV dose, with PV1 and PV2 antibodies detected in > 95% of the participants > 30 years after the last OPV dose. Conclusions The childhood series of four doses of OPV guarantees a long duration of protection, despite the elimination of the virus and therefore the absence of a natural booster. However, until PV1 is completely eradicated, maximum vigilance on the part of public health institutions must be maintained

Long time persistence of antibodies against Mumps in fully MMR immunized young adults: an Italian retrospective cohort study

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Humoral immune response after anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccine “booster” dose in patients with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS)

Not Applicable

Erratum: Lack of immunity against rubella among Italian young adults. [BMC Infect Dis., 17, (2017) (199)] Doi: 10.1186/s12879-017-2295-y

After publication of this article [1], the authors noted that the given names and family names of all authors had been inverted, and are therefore incorrect in the original article. In the original article, the author names appear as the following: Gallone Maria Serena, Gallone Maria Filomena, Larocca Angela Maria Vittoria, Germinario Cinzia and Tafuri Silvio. However, this is incorrect, and the author names should appear as per the below: Maria Serena Gallone, Maria Filomena Gallone, Angela Maria Vittoria Larocca, Cinzia Germinario, Silvio Tafuri. The author names have been corrected in the author list and the citation for this Erratum

Long-Term Immunogenicity of Inactivated and Oral Polio Vaccines: An Italian Retrospective Cohort Study

Oral and inactivated poliovirus (PV) vaccines have contributed toward the global eradication of wild PV2 and PV3, as well as the elimination of PV1 in most countries. While the long-term (>5–10 years) persistence of protective antibodies in ≥80% of the population vaccinated with ≥3–4 doses of oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV) has been demonstrated, the duration of immunity in people vaccinated with the inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) is still unclear. This study evaluated the seroprevalence of anti-PV neutralizing antibodies and the long-term immunogenicity conferred by OPV and IPV in a sample of medical students from the University of Bari (April 2014–October 2020). The levels of neutralizing PV1, PV2, and PV3 antibodies in blood samples taken during the assessments were evaluated. Neutralizing antibodies against PV1, PV2, and PV3 were present in >90% of the study participants, with rates of >99%, >98%, and ~92–99%, respectively. IPV resulted in a higher immunological response than OPV against PV3. Protective antibodies against all three viruses persisted for at least 18 years after administration of the last vaccine dose. Until PV1 is completely eradicated, maximum vigilance from public health institutions must be maintained

HBV seroprevalence after 25 years of universal mass vaccination and management of non-responders to the anti-Hepatitis B vaccine: an Italian study among medical students

According to international guidelines, healthcare workers and medical students immunized against HBV are periodically tested for anti-HBs IgG. Subjects who show an anti-HBs titer <10 mUI/ml must receive additional vaccine doses to induce a measurable antibody response. This study aimed to evaluate the long-time immunogenicity of anti-hepatitis B vaccination in a sample of medical students and residents of the University of Bari who attended the Hygiene Department for biological risk assessment (April 2014 - June 2017). The strategy for the management of non-responder subjects was evaluated. 3,676 students and residents were invited for testing according to a standardized protocol. Anti-HBs IgG was tested for in 3,140 (85.4%) subjects: 1,174/3,140 (37.7%) subjects were negative. 14.6% (128/808) of subjects who received the vaccine during their 12th year of life and 45.8% (1,056/2,305) ofsubjects immunized during the first year of life (p<0.0001) were negative. 1,005/1,174 (85.6%) seronegative subjects received a booster dose and 903/1,005 (89.9%) were tested for anti-HBs one month after the booster dose: 82/903 (9.1%) subjects were still negative. Of these, 56/82 (68.3%) received two additional doses of vaccine and 52/56 (92.9%) were tested one month after the third dose: 50/52 subjects (96.2%) developed a positive titer. In conclusion, several medical students, immunized at birth or at young age against HBV, did not develop protective titers against the virus. Our management strategy (booster- re-test; for negative subjects, two doses and re-test) seems consistent with the purpose of evidencing immunological memory. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

Immunity to rubella: an Italian retrospective cohort study

International guidelines recommend that healthcare workers (HCWs) have presumptive evidence of immunity to rubella and that susceptible HCWs and doubt cases receive two doses of the MMR vaccine. However, a small percentage of the fully immunized will remain unprotected against wild viruses. Moreover, protective levels of antibodies induced by the vaccine have been shown to decline over time, but a formal recommendation regarding the testing of immunized HCWs for the persistence of IgG against rubella is lacking

Vaccination Offer during the Occupational Health Surveillance Program for Healthcare Workers and Suitability to Work: An Italian Retrospective Cohort Study

The active immunization of health care workers (HCWs) is a crucial measure to avoid nosocomial infection; nevertheless, vaccine coverage (VC) among health personnel in Italy is unsatisfactory. To improve VC in the healthcare set, the Hygiene and Occupational Medicine departments of Bari Policlinico General University Hospital applied a specific program. The operative procedure demands that in the context of the occupational medical examination, all workers are evaluated for susceptibility to vaccine-preventable diseases (VDPs), with immunization prophylaxis offered to those determined to be susceptible. This study analyzed data from workers who attended the biological risk assessment protocol from December 2017 to October 2021 (n = 1477), who were evaluated for the immune status for measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella. Among the enrolled subjects, non-protective antibody titers were higher for measles and mumps (13%), followed by rubella (11%) and varicella (8%). Appropriate vaccinations were offered to all susceptible HCWs, and HCWs were re-tested one month after immunization. The seroconversion rate after the administration of one or more booster dose(s) was over 80%. Overall, 2.5% of the subjects refused the offered vaccine(s); the main determinant of immunization compliance was younger age (aOR = 0.86; 95%CI = 0.80&ndash;0.92). Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, VPDs may still present a hazard in nosocomial environment. Our experience suggests that, despite hospital procedures and dedicated human assets, satisfactory VC cannot be reached without the provision of federal regulations. Nevertheless, public health policymakers have to improve the promotion of vaccine prophylaxis and education to reach higher VC