Vaccines (Sep 2024)

Seroprevalence Assessment of Anti-Varicella Antibodies among Adults in the Province of Florence (Italy)

  • Angela Bechini,
  • Marco Del Riccio,
  • Cristina Salvati,
  • Benedetta Bonito,
  • Beatrice Zanella,
  • Massimiliano Alberto Biamonte,
  • Mario Bruschi,
  • Johanna Alexandra Iamarino,
  • Letizia Fattorini,
  • Lorenzo Baggiani,
  • Monica Della Fonte,
  • Giovanna Mereu,
  • Paolo Bonanni,
  • Working Group,
  • Sara Boccalini

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines12091056
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 12, no. 9
p. 1056

Abstract

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Background: Varicella infections follow a benign course in around 90% of cases, with more severe forms occurring in adults. To identify potential pockets of susceptibility and to improve targeted immunization strategies, this study aims to critically assess immunological status by evaluating varicella seroprevalence among adults (18–99 years) in the province of Florence (Italy), nearly a decade after Tuscany introduced the vaccination program. Methods: A convenience sample of 430 subjects aged 18 to 94 years (mean age 51.8 ± 18.8 years), stratified by age and sex (53.7% of subjects were female; N = 231), was collected between 2018 and 2019. Sero-analytical analyses were conducted utilizing EUROIMMUN Anti-VZV ELISA (IgG) kits. Results: Most of them were of Italian nationality (87.4%; N = 376). Among the 430 tested samples, 385 (89.5%) were positive and 39 (9.1%) were negative. The remaining six sera (1.4%), confirmed as equivocal, were excluded from further analysis. No significant differences were found based on sex (p-value = 0.706) or nationality (p-value = 0.112). The application of trend tests (Mantel–Haenszel; Kendall Tau-b) showed a significant trend (p p Conclusions: The introduction of varicella vaccination has had a significant impact on public health in Tuscany and in Italy more generally. However, further efforts should be made to reduce the number of individuals still susceptible in adulthood, with particular attention given to women of childbearing age and the promotion of vaccination through mass and social media and institutional websites.

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