[Serological survey of measles, rubella and mumps immunity among pediatric and resident physicians, Valencia, Spain]. / Seroprevalencia frente a sarampión, rubeola y parotiditis en personal facultativo del servicio de pediatría del Hospital Universitario y Politécnico La Fe de Valencia.

BACKGROUND: Health workers are exposed to vaccine-preventable diseases. Therefore, vaccination programs are essential for preventing sanitary environment-acquired infections and avoiding additional damage to patients. The objectives were to estimate the prevalence of antibodies against measles, rubella and mumps among physicians of the Clinical Area of Children Diseases of the La Fe University Hospital (Valencia) and to study its relationship with history of disease, vaccination and professional status. METHODS: Observational, cross-sectional and analytical study. All subjects underwent a serological test for detection of specific antibodies against measles, rubella and mumps. Some of them also completed a questionnaire about the history of disease and vaccination. A descriptive and relation analysis was performed to each disease. RESULTS: 97 physicians participated in the study. 75 participants (77,3%) had positive serology to measles, 85 (87,6%) to rubella and 68 (70,1%) to mumps. The logistic regression model showed a significant effect of age (OR 1,22) in the prevalence of antibodies against measles and a significant effect of sex (OR 5,16) in the prevalence of antibodies against rubella. CONCLUSION: Given the high prevalence of seronegative young physicians and taking into account their professional activity, vaccination in this group would be recommended. Therefore it would be desirable to design strategies to achieve the accession of physicians to the vaccination program.

Seroprevalencia frente a Sarampión, Rubeola y Parotiditis en personal facultativo del Servicio de Pediatría del Hospital Universitario y Politécnico de La Fe de Valencia / Serological survey of measles, Rubella and mumps immunity among pediatric and residents physicians. Valencia, Spain

Fundamentos: El personal sanitario está expuesto a enfermedades prevenibles por vacunación y por tanto, asegurar una adhesión a programas de vacunación es un elemento clave en la prevención de las infecciones adquiridas en el trabajo y evitar causar daño a los pacientes. Los objetivos fueron estimar la prevalencia de anticuerpos frente a sarampión, rubeola y parotiditis entre los facultativos del Área Clínica de Enfermedades del Niño del Hospital Universitario y Politécnico la Fe de Valencia y estudiar su relación con antecedentes de la enfermedad, vacunación y categoría y experiencia profesional. Métodos: Estudio observacional transversal analítico. A todos los participantes se les realizó un análisis serológico para la detección de anticuerpos específicos frente a sarampión, rubeola y parotiditis y se les ofreció la posibilidad de cumplimentar un cuestionario sobre antecedentes de enfermedad y/o vacunación. Se realizó un análisis descriptivo y de relación para cada una de las enfermedades. Resultados: Participaron 97 facultativos, de ellos presentaban serología positiva para sarampión 75 (77,3%), para rubeola 85 (87,6%) y 68 (70,1%) frente a parotiditis. El modelo de regresión logística mostró diferencias significativas en la prevalencia de anticuerpos frente a sarampión en función de la edad (OR 1,22) y frente a rubeola en función del sexo (OR 5,16). Conclusiones: Considerando la alta prevalencia de facultativos jóvenes seronegativos y teniendo en cuenta la actividad profesional que desarrollan, la vacunación en este colectivo estaría recomendada por lo que sería conveniente diseñar estrategias para conseguir la adhesión de los profesionales al programa de vacunación (AU)

Background: Health workers are exposed to vaccine-preventable diseases. Therefore, vaccination programs are essential for preventing sanitary environment-acquired infections and avoiding additional damage to patients. The objectives were to estimate the prevalence of antibodies against measles, rubella and mumps among physicians of the Clinical Area of Children Diseases of the La Fe University Hospital (Valencia) and to study its relationship with history of disease, vaccination and professional status. Methods: Observational, cross-sectional and analytical study. All subjects underwent a serological test for detection of specific antibodies against measles, rubella andmumps. Some of themalso completed a questionnaire about the history of disease and vaccination. A descriptive and relation analysis was performed to each disease. Results: 97 physicians participated in the study. 75 participants (77,3%) had positive serology to measles, 85 (87,6%) to rubella and 68 (70,1%) to mumps. The logistic regression model showed a significant effect of age (OR 1,22) in the prevalence of antibodies againstmeasles and a significant effect of sex (OR 5,16) in the prevalence of antibodies against rubella. Conclusion: Given the high prevalence of seronegative young physicians and taking into account their professional activity, vaccination in this group would be recommended. Therefore it would be desirable to design strategies to achieve the accession of physicians to the vaccination program (AU)

Prevalencia de anticuerpos frente a Trypanosoma cruzi en población inmigrante de la ciudad de Valencia / No disponible

Introducción: La enfermedad de Chagas es endémica en Centro y Sudamérica. Las vías transfusional, transplacentaria y donación de órganos son las de mayor importancia en nuestro medio. Conviene conocer la prevalencia de anticuerpos anti-T.cruzi en la población procedente de áreas endémicas, debido al posible estado de portador asintomático y transmisor en la fase crónica. Métodos: Análisis de 432 sueros de inmigrantes recogidos entre mayo y agosto de 2001 por ensayo inmunoenzimático (ELISA), inmunoprecipitación (IP) e inmunofluorescencia indirecta (IFA) frente a T. cruzi; estudio posterior de anticuerpos frente a Leishmanias pp. Y Treponema pallidum. Resultados: 30 muestras (6,9%) fueron positivas por la técnica de cribado. De ellas, 16 (53,4%) también lo fueron por IP y por IFA. Todos los sueros positivos por lastres técnicas, excepto uno, tenían anticuerpos frente a L. infantum y sólo uno frente a T. pallidum. Discusión: Un 3,7% de los sueros fueron positivos por las tres técnicas empleadas, dato similar al de otros estudios. La mayoría correspondían a bolivianos, lo que coincide con la prevalencia de la infección en Sudamérica, y a mujeres. El diagnóstico de laboratorio presenta limitaciones al no existir un gold standard, no estar comercializada una prueba de confirmación y haber reacciones cruzadas con otros parásitos. La erradicación del vector y la interrupción de cualquier transmisión sigue siendo la vía principal para controlar esta endemia (AU)

Introduction: Chagas’ disease is endemic in Central and South America and is mainly transmitted through blood transfusion, organ transplant and congenital infection in our Spanish environment. It is important to know the prevalence of anti-T.cruzi antibodies in people from the endemic areas who are now living in our country, due to possible transmission during the chronic, asymptomatic period. Methods: Analysis of 432 sera collected from immigrants between May and August 2001 using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), a particle gel immunoassay (IP) and an indirect immunofluorescence assay(IFA) for T.cruzi. In order to exclude cross-reaction, the presence of Leishmania spp. and Treponema pallidumantibodies was also tested. Results: 30 samples (6.9%) were positive with the ELISA and 16 (53.4%) of them also reacted to IP and IFA. All except one of the sera which were positive through the three techniques had antibodies to L. infantum and one of them to T. pallidum. Discussion: 3.7% of all the sera analyzed were positivefor the three techniques, a finding that correlates with results from other studies. Most of them were from women and from immigrants from Bolivia, the country with the highest prevalence of this disease. Laboratory diagnosis is limited by the abscence of a gold standard, the presence of cross-reactivity with other parasites and the fact that there is no commercially available confirmatory assay. Vector erradication and interrupting any pathway of transmission is the main approach to combating the disease’s endemicity (AU)