ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: To compare the antibody concentrations against Bordetella antigens in health care workers in a pediatric hospital with those of two different populations without professional contact with children. METHODS: In a pediatric hospital 155 health care workers (135 female, 20 male), 292 male navy recruits after 3 months at sea and 146 regular blood donors (41 female, 105 male) were screened for antibodies of isotypes IgG and IgA to pertussis toxin (PT) and filamentous hemagglutinin (FHA) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: Pediatric health care workers were positive for IgG anti-PT in 88%, for IgA anti-PT in 52%, for IgG anti-FHA in 99% and for IgA anti-FRA in 84%. Relative numbers for blood donors and recruits were 86 and 80% for IgG anti-PT, 56 and 55% for IgA anti-PT, 100 and 98% for IgG anti-FHA and 92 and 82% for IgA anti-FHA, respectively. Reverse cumulative distribution of all antibodies except for IgA anti-FHA showed no differences among the three groups; 2% of pediatric personnel, 3% of blood donors and 3% of navy recruits, respectively, had IgG anti-PT > or = 100 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay units/ml, indicating a recent contact to Bordetella pertussis. CONCLUSION: Antibodies to B. pertussis antigens, such as IgG/IgA anti-PT and IgG/IgA anti-FHA, were similarly distributed in all three groups. Our results suggest that exposures leading to measurable immune responses to pertussis antigens in German pediatric health care workers are not significantly more frequent than in other populations without professional contacts with children.
Subject(s)
Antibodies, Bacterial/analysis , Bordetella pertussis/immunology , Health Personnel , Pediatrics , Whooping Cough/immunology , Adult , Bordetella pertussis/pathogenicity , Child , Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay , Female , Germany , Humans , Immunoglobulin A/analysis , Immunoglobulin G/analysis , Male , Middle Aged , Professional-Patient RelationsABSTRACT
To estimate the rate of asymptomatic exposure to Bordetella pertussis antigens in the German adult population and to evaluate the stability of antibodies to these antigens, antibody levels against Bordetella antigens and their variability over time were measured in German adult blood donors. One hundred forty-six regular blood donors (41 females, 105 males) were tested repeatedly for antibodies of isotypes IgG and IgA to pertussis toxin, filamentous hemagglutinin (FHA) and pertactin over a period of 2-5 years. Overall, 86% and 56% had IgG or IgA antibodies to pertussis toxin, respectively, 100% and 92% had IgG or IgA antibodies to FHA, respectively, and 83% and 93% had IgG or IgA antibodies to pertactin, respectively. One significant titer increase of both IgG anti-FHA and IgG anti-pertactin, one of IgG anti-FHA, and two of IgA anti-FHA as well as one significant decrease of IgG anti-pertussis toxin were observed during an observation period of 480.5 person-years. Antibody concentrations in men and women were not different. The data show that the level of antibodies to pertussis toxin, FHA, and pertactin remains stable over several years. Furthermore, depending on the definition of serological evidence, the rate of significant increases or decreases suggesting unrecognized exposure to Bordetella antigens was estimated to be between <0.2 and 1.0 per 100 person-years in the population studied.
Subject(s)
Antibodies, Bacterial/blood , Bordetella pertussis/immunology , Adhesins, Bacterial/immunology , Adult , Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins/immunology , Blood Donors , Female , Hemagglutinins/immunology , Humans , Immunoglobulin A/blood , Immunoglobulin G/blood , Male , Pertussis Toxin , Virulence Factors, Bordetella/immunologyABSTRACT
A new fast sequence type, called COSESS/INSESS, is described. The steady state for COSESS is coherent but incoherent for INSESS. COSESS/INSESS combine the contrast behavior of fast imaging with steady-state free precession (FISP) and fast low angle shot (FLASH), respectively, to the robustness of spin-echo (SE) sequences with regard to susceptibility and field inhomogeneities. In contrast to other fast sequences such as rapid spin-echo excitation (RASEE), fast low angle spin echo with short echo time (FATE) or the missing pulse sequence, which also uses a spin echo, COSESS/ INSESS can additionally handle time-dependent disturbances arising from eddy currents, hysteresis or B(zero) instability. The acquisition time is 2 to 3 times longer than with gradient-based steady-state sequences. The principle of echo generation is evaluated and shows a superposition of several subechoes in the spin echo. Different solutions were elaborated to attain a coherent superposition of sub-echo signals for COSESS. Signal and contrast behavior were investigated both by simulations and experiments and demonstrate the performance of COSESS/INSESS.
