Pertussis antibody levels in infants immunized with an acellular pertussis component vaccine, measured using whole-cell pertussis ELISA

• Published in: Immunology and cell biology 2000-06, Vol.78 (3), p.254-258
• Main Authors: Hanlon, Mg, Nambiar, R, Kakakios, Am, McIntyre, P, Land, Mv, Devine, Pl
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: acellular vaccine; Antibodies, Bacterial - blood; Bordetella pertussis; Bordetella pertussis - immunology; Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis Vaccine - administration & dosage; Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis Vaccine - immunology; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay - methods; enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay; filamentous hemagglutinin; Humans; immunoglobulin G; Immunoglobulin G - blood; Infant; pertussis; Pertussis Vaccine - administration & dosage; Pertussis Vaccine - immunology; Reagent Kits, Diagnostic; Whooping Cough - diagnosis; Whooping Cough - prevention & control
• ISSN: 0818-9641; 1440-1711
• DOI: 10.1046/j.1440-1711.2000.00910.x

A commercially available whole‐cell pertussis IgG ELISA was used to test the response of 137 2‐month‐old infants to immunization with a trivalent acellular pertussis vaccine. The pre‐immunization geometric mean (GM) IgG index was 6.96 (95% confidence interval (CI) 5.88–8.04) and the postimmunization GM index was 13.16 (95% CI 12.20–14.11), P < 0.001. Eighty percent of subjects (110/137) had a significant 1.5‐fold increase of pertussis IgG index (97/137, 71%) or a postimmunization IgG index > 10 (93/137, 68%). In single antigen ELISA, 83% showed at least a fourfold increase in pertussis toxin‐specific IgG (PT‐IgG) and 91% showed an increase in IgG specific for filamentous haemagglutinin (FHA‐IgG). Four percent had high pre‐ immunization antibody levels (index > 20), likely to reflect recent maternal exposure to pertussis. This correlated with a smaller increase in pertussis IgG index. A decline in pertussis IgG index postimmunization occurred in 17/24 infants (71%) whose pre‐immunization IgG index was > 10. This postimmunization pertussis IgG index was not significantly different to that of infants with a low pre‐immunization index. A similar trend was noted with PT‐IgG and FHA‐IgG results. The whole‐cell ELISA can detect a response to acellular pertussis vaccination in most infants if both antibody index and degree of seroconversion are calculated and at least one criterion is satisfied.