Seroprevalence of Pertussis in Adults at Childbearing Age Pre- and Post- COVID-19 in Beijing, China
: Chen Zhiyun, Pang Jie, Zhang Yuxiao, Ding Yiwei, Chen Ning, Zhang Nan, He Qiushui
Publisher: MDPI
: 2022
: Vaccines
: VACCINES
: VACCINES-BASEL
: 872
: 10
: 6
: 10
: 2076-393X
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines10060872
: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/10/6/872
: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/175904665
The number of reported pertussis cases has significantly decreased during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic under the influence of strict public health measures in many countries including China. This study evaluated the prevalence of serum anti-pertussis toxin (anti-PT) IgG antibodies in adults at childbearing age pre- and post- COVID-19 in Beijing, China. Altogether, 2021 serum samples collected from individuals aged 20 to 39 years who attended an annual health examination at the Sixth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, in 2018--2020 were measured by ELISA. The median concentration of anti-PT IgG antibodies among participants in 2020 (2.96 IU/mL) was significantly lower than that in 2018 (3.27 IU/mL) (p = 0.011) and in 2019 (3.24 IU/mL) (p = 0.014). The percentage of participants with anti-PT IgG antibodies higher than 40 IU/mL (indicating a pertussis infection within the past few years) was 1.79% (9/503) in 2018, 2.04% (15/735) in 2019 and 1.66% (13/783) in 2020, respectively. The corresponding numbers of the non-detectable (<5 IU/mL) rate of anti-PT IgG antibodies were 66.60%, 65.99% and 70.24%. Our results showed that there was a significant difference between true and reported incidence rates even during the COVID-19 pandemic. The proportion of adults at childbearing age without pertussis-specific antibodies is high, suggesting that booster vaccinations in adults should be considered in this country.
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