Document Type : Original Article
Authors
- Ayse Kilic 1
- Gulcin Otar Yener 1
- Aylin Yetim 1
- Mustafa Ozcetin 1
- Gulbin Gokcay 2
- Asuman Coban 3
- Zeynep Ince 3
- Beril Yasa 3
- Lutfiye Oksuz 4
- Funda Gungor Ugurlucan 5
- Nezahat Gurler 4
1 Department of Pediatrics, Istanbul Medical School, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey
2 Istanbul University Institute of Child Health, Istanbul, Turkey
3 Department of Neonatalogy, Istanbul Medical School, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey
4 Department of Microbiology, Istanbul Medical School, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey
5 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Istanbul Medical School, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey
Abstract
Background: Despite primary vaccination, infants under six months run a risk of infection with pertussis. Objective: To determine the impact of early postpartum maternal pertussis vaccination on protecting infants from the disease. Methods: All mothers (n=405) who gave birth to healthy term infants were educated on the cocoon strategy. The mothers who consented were immunized with the tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis vaccine within the first three postpartum days. All infants received their pertussis vaccines according to the national schedule. The anti-pertussis IgG titers of infants of thirty vaccinated mothers were compared with those of thirty unvaccinated mothers. Results: The pertussis antibody levels in the infants of vaccinated mothers were significantly higher than those of unvaccinated mothers at the mean infant age of 5.6 ± 1.2 months. Only 6 infants of vaccinated mothers exhibited pertussis-like symptoms, none of whom had positive pertussis PCR. Seventeen infants of unvaccinated mothers had pertussis-like symptoms, and 4 tested positive for pertussis PCR. Conclusion: Our results showed that maternal pertussis vaccination, administered within the first three postpartum days, may protect infants against pertussis in their first ten months.
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