Hepatitis B surface antibodies in medical students from a public university in Puebla, Mexico

Abstract

Although preventable with vaccination, Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major health concern, with »400 million people at risk of developing the chronic form of the disease worldwide. The anti-HBV vaccine consists of a recombinant HBV surface antigen (HBsAg), which induces specific anti-HBs antibodies and confers 95% protection for >20 y. The aim of the present study was to analyze the response to HBV vaccination by measuring anti-HBs antibodies in serum samples from medical students of a public university in Puebla, Mexico. HBV infection markers HBsAg and anti-HBs, were also determined. A total of 201 students were included and vaccination coverage was found at 54%. Overall seropositivity for HBsAg, anti-HBc and anti-HBs determined by ELISA was 0.5%, 1.0% and 47%, respectively. Protective levels of anti-HBs >10 mIU/mL were found in 93.2% of subjects vaccinated with 2 or 3 doses and in 40% of those vaccinated with a single dose; while only 4.8% of unvaccinated subjects were anti-HBs positive. The response to the HBV vaccine was different in each participant, despite similar vaccination scheme. A history of blood transfusion/organ transplant or more than 2 sexual partners was significantly associated with anti-HBc positivity, OR D 399 (p D 0.010) and OR D 19.9 (p D 0.044), respectively. HBV immunization coverage was low in our sample compared with reports from countries with similar HBV prevalence, but anti-HBs in vaccinated individuals were in the expected range. It is important to promote HBV vaccination and awareness among medical students, due to their exposure risk.

Hepatitis A, B and C seropositivity among first-year healthcare students in western Turkey: a seroprevalence study

“…These findings can be attributed to the effectiveness of the vaccination program. In our study, the percentage of anti-HBs seropositive HCS was consistent with those reported in some other countries, such as Poland, Mexico, the United States, and Italy [22][23][24][25]; nevertheless, it was higher than the results of studies from Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, the United Arab Emirates, Italy, Spain, Palestine, and Iran [21,[26][27][28][29][30][31]. The anti-HB seropositivity of HCSs is widely distributed (17.0 to 89.4%) in Turkey [12,32,33].…”

Immunization against Hepatitis B Surface Antigen (HBsAg) in a Cohort of Nursing Students Two Decades after Vaccination: Surprising Feedback

“…Several researches conducted among students attending healthcare courses highlighted the importance of measuring the immunological response against HBV and of the need for a booster dose in subjects with not protective values, since they have to be considered at higher risk of acquiring HBV infection due to traineeships and/or internships in hospital units [11][12][13][14][15][16].…”

Donated Blood Screening for HIV, HCV and HBV by ID-NAT and the Residual Risk of Iatrogenic Transmission in a Tertiary Care Hospital Blood Bank in Puebla, Mexico

“…For example, it has been determined that 52% of health workers have been vaccinated at least once, but only 5.5% have complied with the complete scheme [ 29 ]. In the case of medical students, it was reported that 54% from a major university in Puebla had received at least one dose of the HBV vaccine, and more than 90% of those who received 2 or 3 doses had protective levels of anti-HBsAg [ 30 ]. Therefore, ideal levels of vaccine coverage have not yet been achieved in our population contributing to high prevalence, which could, in part, explain why the risk of iatrogenic transmission that we report here did not decrease further with NAT.…”