Seroprotection against tetanus in HIV-exposed and HIV-unexposed infants in Malawi in 2019-2020
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 12, 2025
Isolation of Leukocytes from Human Breast Milk for Use in an Antibody-dependent Cellular Phagocytosis Assay of HIV Targets
Published on: September 6, 2019
Silvia Baroncelli1, Clementina Maria Galluzzo2, Stefano Orlando3
1National Center for Global Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanita, Rome, Italy silvia.baroncelli@iss.it.
In Malawi, tetanus toxoid vaccination (TTV) is recommended in pregnancy, but few studies have assessed the prevalence of infant seroprotection against tetanus. Anti-TT levels from 84 6-week-old infants, born in 2019-2020 to mothers living with HIV (HEU: HIV-exposed-uninfected) infants and to HIV-negative women (HUU: HIV-unexposed-uninfected) infants were determined by ELISA assay. Although 94% of the infants (HEU=94.8%, HUU=92.3%) showed protective levels (>0.1 IU/mL), the mean titers observed (0.51 IU/mL) suggest an incomplete compliance with TT vaccination. The only factor positively correlated to anti-TT IgG levels was the duration of maternal antiretroviral therapy in HEU.
In Malawi, tetanus toxoid vaccination (TTV) is recommended in pregnancy, but few studies have assessed the prevalence of infant seroprotection against tetanus. Anti-TT levels from 84 6-week-old infants, born in 2019-2020 to mothers living with HIV (HEU: HIV-exposed-uninfected) infants and to HIV-negative women (HUU: HIV-unexposed-uninfected) infants were determined by ELISA assay. Although 94% of the infants (HEU=94.8%, HUU=92.3%) showed protective levels (>0.1 IU/mL), the mean titers observed (0.51 IU/mL) suggest an incomplete compliance with TT vaccination. The only factor positively correlated to anti-TT IgG levels was the duration of maternal antiretroviral therapy in HEU.
