PLoS ONE (Jan 2021)

Levels of hepatitis B antibody titers are affected by age and doses gap time in children from a high endemic area of the western Amazon.

  • Laura Cordeiro Gomes,
  • Marina Cordeiro Gomes Sanson,
  • Philip Brainin,
  • Maria da Conceição Vieira de Melo,
  • Rodrigo Medeiros de Souza,
  • Janaína Mazaro,
  • Karine Oliveira Lima,
  • Júnia Silva Resende,
  • Isabelle Victória Martins Vieira,
  • Edinilson da Silva Mesquita,
  • Luan Oliveira Matos,
  • Isabelle Caroline Silva Dutra,
  • Giuseppe Palmisano,
  • Carsten Wrenger,
  • Claudio Romero Farias Marinho,
  • Rita do Socorro Uchôa da Silva

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0253752
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 16, no. 7
p. e0253752

Abstract

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BackgroundDespite completion of the vaccine schedule for hepatitis B virus (HBV), children may display levels of HBV surface antibodies (anti-HBs) that are considered inadequate for sufficient protection (AimsOur aim was to investigate if age and gap time between HBV vaccine doses may negatively affect the levels of anti-HBs in children, and if these relationships are modified by sex.MethodsIn a high-endemic HBV region of the western Brazilian Amazon we enrolled children who had completed the HBV vaccine schedule. All children underwent analysis of anti-HBs and a clinical examination.ResultsWe included 522 children (mean age 4.3 ± 0.8 years; 50% male). Median anti-HBs was 28.4 [interquartile range (IQR) 5.4 to 128.6] IU/L and 32% had anti-HBs ConclusionOne third of assessed children displayed anti-HBs <10 IU/L. Levels of anti-HBs decreased with higher age and increased with longer gap time between the last two doses.