A case–control study to assess the effectiveness of pertussis vaccination during pregnancy on newborns, Valencian community, Spain, 1 March 2015 to 29 February 2016

In the Valencian Community (Spain), the programme of maternal pertussis vaccination during pregnancy started in January 2015. The objective of this study was to estimate in this region the vaccine effectiveness (VE) in protecting newborns against laboratory-confirmed pertussis infection. A matched case–control study was undertaken in the period between 1 March 2015 and 29 February 2016. Twenty-two cases and 66 controls (+/− 15 days of age difference) were included in the study. Cases were non-vaccinated infants < 3 months of age at disease onset testing positive for pertussis by real-time PCR. For every case three unvaccinated controls were selected. Odds ratios (OR) were calculated by multiple conditional logistic regression for association between maternal vaccination and infant pertussis. Other children in the household, as well as mother- and environmental covariates were taken into account. The VE was calculated as 1 − OR. Mothers of five cases (23%) and of 41 controls (62%) were vaccinated during pregnancy. The adjusted VE was 90.9% (95% confidence interval (CI): 56.6 to 98.1). The only covariate in the final model was breastfeeding (protective effect). Our study provides evidence in favour of pertussis vaccination programmes for pregnant women in order to prevent whooping cough in infants aged less than 3 months

Diez años de vigilancia de la tuberculosis en Valencia. Diferencias autóctonos frente a extranjeros.

El incremento de la inmigración en España en los últimos años ha modificado la epidemiología de la tuberculosis. El objetivo de nuestro estudio ha sido identificar las características diferenciales entre los casos de tuberculosis de las poblaciones extranjera y autóctona con el fin de establecer intervenciones preventivas eficaces. Se llevó a cabo un estudio longitudinal retrospectivo de los casos de tuberculosis notificados en la ciudad de Valencia durante la década 2003-2012. Para el cálculo de la incidencia, los denominadores se obtuvieron del padrón municipal. Se utilizaron pruebas no paramétricas para la comparación de proporciones y paramétricas para contrastar medias. De los casos notificados se confirmaron un total de 1.667, de los que el 37,2% fueron extranjeros y el 62,8% autóctonos. La edad media de estos últimos fue 13 años superior a la de los extranjeros y en éstos, el 76% de los casos se concentró entre los 20 y 39 años de edad. Durante todo el periodo de estudio, la tasa de incidencia de tuberculosis en inmigrantes fue muy superior a la del grupo de autóctonos. De los factores asociados a la enfermedad que estudiamos, sólo dos fueron más frecuentes en extranjeros: la baciloscopia positiva y el ingreso hospitalario. Deducimos de estos resultados que el patrón de presentación de la tuberculosis en la ciudad de Valencia difiere en ambos grupos de estudio, por lo que recomendamos un control terapéutico y preventivo de los convivientes de la población inmigrante afectada de tuberculosis

Concentrations of chlorinated pollutants in adipose tissue of yellow-legged gulls (Larus michahellis) from Spain Role of gender and age

Concentrations of 7 different polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners, and eleven organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and metabolites, including DDTs (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane), HCHs (hexachlorocyclohexane isomers), Endosulfan, Endosulfan sulfate, Endrin, Dieldrin and HCB (hexachlorobenzene), were determined in adipose tissue of 57 yellow-legged gulls collected from NW and N Spain. Furthermore, the possible differences due to two endogenous factors, age and gender, were determined. All the analyzed PCBs were detected in over 66% of the samples, with levels of 291.9 (PCB 180), 34.5 (PCB 118), 0.7 (PCB 28), 432.6 (PCB 153), 225.5 (PCB 138), 1.3 (PCB 101) and 0.4 (PCB 52) µg/kg of adipose tissue. With respect to the OCPs and metabolites, only 4,4'-DDE and HCB were detected in more than 50% of the samples, with means of 360.6 and 2.5 µg/kg of adipose tissue, respectively. From all the considered contaminants, only 4,4'-DDE levels presented significant differences depending on the gender, with females showing higher values than males (p < 0.01). Significant differences (p < 0.001) were also found related to age for the levels of PCBs 180, 138, 101, 28 and 153, as well as 4,4'-DDE, with adult levels being higher than those in young birds. The results of the present study constitute a baseline to better assess the environmental impacts of PCB and OCP contamination at other coastal sites for future biomonitoring studies, with particular emphasis on gender- and age-related differences