Hepatitis B Seroprevalence in the Pediatric and Adolescent Population of Florence (Italy): An Update 27 Years after the Implementation of Universal Vaccination
Background: Hepatitis B still represents a health concern, although safe and effective vaccines have been available since 1982. Italy introduced a program of universal vaccination against hepatitis B in 1991. The aim of this study was to assess the immunity levels towards hepatitis B in a sample of...
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2020-03-01
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author | Beatrice Zanella Angela Bechini Sara Boccalini Gino Sartor Emilia Tiscione Working Group DHS Working Group AOUMeyer Working Group AUSLTC Paolo Bonanni |
author_facet | Beatrice Zanella Angela Bechini Sara Boccalini Gino Sartor Emilia Tiscione Working Group DHS Working Group AOUMeyer Working Group AUSLTC Paolo Bonanni |
author_sort | Beatrice Zanella |
collection | DOAJ |
description | Background: Hepatitis B still represents a health concern, although safe and effective vaccines have been available since 1982. Italy introduced a program of universal vaccination against hepatitis B in 1991. The aim of this study was to assess the immunity levels towards hepatitis B in a sample of sera from the pediatric and adolescent population in the province of Florence, Central Italy, twenty-seven years after the implementation of universal vaccination. Methods: A total of 165 sera samples were collected from the resident population of Florence aged 1–18 years. The anti-HBs and anti-HBc enzyme-linked immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) tests were performed on all samples. The anamnestic and vaccination status data were also collected. Results: Seroprevalence of anti-HBs was approximately 60%, with children aged 1–5 years having the highest positivity rate (81.6%), and decreasing trends in the older age groups. The zero prevalence of anti-HBc shows that the detected protective immunity is mainly due to vaccination, and natural infection was not reported in the studied population. Conclusions: The seroprevalence of anti-HBs and the lack of anti-HBc in this study highlights that immunity levels have been derived mainly from immunization. This confirms how vaccination dramatically reduced circulation of the hepatitis B virus in Italy in the pediatric and adolescent population twenty-seven years after implementation of the mandatory universal program. |
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language | English |
last_indexed | 2024-03-10T20:47:37Z |
publishDate | 2020-03-01 |
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spelling | doaj.art-2204ddcadfbe485281467b0229fbd09d2023-11-19T20:12:29ZengMDPI AGVaccines2076-393X2020-03-018215610.3390/vaccines8020156Hepatitis B Seroprevalence in the Pediatric and Adolescent Population of Florence (Italy): An Update 27 Years after the Implementation of Universal VaccinationBeatrice Zanella0Angela Bechini1Sara Boccalini2Gino Sartor3Emilia Tiscione4Working Group DHS5Working Group AOUMeyer6Working Group AUSLTC7Paolo Bonanni8Department of Health Sciences, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, ItalyDepartment of Health Sciences, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, ItalyDepartment of Health Sciences, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, ItalyMedical Specialization School of Hygiene and Preventive Medicine, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, ItalyDepartment of Health Sciences, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, ItalyMedical Specialization School of Hygiene and Preventive Medicine, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, ItalyMeyer Children’s Hospital, 50139 Florence, ItalyAUSL Toscana Centro, 50142 Florence, ItalyDepartment of Health Sciences, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, ItalyBackground: Hepatitis B still represents a health concern, although safe and effective vaccines have been available since 1982. Italy introduced a program of universal vaccination against hepatitis B in 1991. The aim of this study was to assess the immunity levels towards hepatitis B in a sample of sera from the pediatric and adolescent population in the province of Florence, Central Italy, twenty-seven years after the implementation of universal vaccination. Methods: A total of 165 sera samples were collected from the resident population of Florence aged 1–18 years. The anti-HBs and anti-HBc enzyme-linked immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) tests were performed on all samples. The anamnestic and vaccination status data were also collected. Results: Seroprevalence of anti-HBs was approximately 60%, with children aged 1–5 years having the highest positivity rate (81.6%), and decreasing trends in the older age groups. The zero prevalence of anti-HBc shows that the detected protective immunity is mainly due to vaccination, and natural infection was not reported in the studied population. Conclusions: The seroprevalence of anti-HBs and the lack of anti-HBc in this study highlights that immunity levels have been derived mainly from immunization. This confirms how vaccination dramatically reduced circulation of the hepatitis B virus in Italy in the pediatric and adolescent population twenty-seven years after implementation of the mandatory universal program.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/8/2/156hepatitis BvaccinationseroprevalenceELISA testItaly |
spellingShingle | Beatrice Zanella Angela Bechini Sara Boccalini Gino Sartor Emilia Tiscione Working Group DHS Working Group AOUMeyer Working Group AUSLTC Paolo Bonanni Hepatitis B Seroprevalence in the Pediatric and Adolescent Population of Florence (Italy): An Update 27 Years after the Implementation of Universal Vaccination Vaccines hepatitis B vaccination seroprevalence ELISA test Italy |
title | Hepatitis B Seroprevalence in the Pediatric and Adolescent Population of Florence (Italy): An Update 27 Years after the Implementation of Universal Vaccination |
title_full | Hepatitis B Seroprevalence in the Pediatric and Adolescent Population of Florence (Italy): An Update 27 Years after the Implementation of Universal Vaccination |
title_fullStr | Hepatitis B Seroprevalence in the Pediatric and Adolescent Population of Florence (Italy): An Update 27 Years after the Implementation of Universal Vaccination |
title_full_unstemmed | Hepatitis B Seroprevalence in the Pediatric and Adolescent Population of Florence (Italy): An Update 27 Years after the Implementation of Universal Vaccination |
title_short | Hepatitis B Seroprevalence in the Pediatric and Adolescent Population of Florence (Italy): An Update 27 Years after the Implementation of Universal Vaccination |
title_sort | hepatitis b seroprevalence in the pediatric and adolescent population of florence italy an update 27 years after the implementation of universal vaccination |
topic | hepatitis B vaccination seroprevalence ELISA test Italy |
url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/8/2/156 |
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