Antibody decay after immunisation of health-care workers with an acellular pertussis vaccine

Antibody decay after a single dose of acellular pertussis vaccine containing 25 μg of pertussis toxin (PT), 25 μg of filamentous hemagglutin (FHA), and traces of pertactin (PRN) was monitored in health-care workers. Blood was sampled 4 weeks (n = 246), 1 year (n = 187), 2 years (n = 53), 3 years (n = 134), and 4 years (n = 37) after vaccination. IgG anti-PT, IgG anti-FHA and IgG anti-PRN were measured by ELISA. Peak median antibodies to PT, FHA, and PRN were 314, 785, and 84 EU/ml respectively. IgG anti-PT decreased to a median of 29% (76 EU/ml), 18% (64 EU/ml), 19% (58 EU/ml), and 20% (63 EU/ml) of the peak value after 1, 2, 3, and 4 years respectively. IgG anti-FHA decreased more slowly, but showed similar decay patterns. In German health-care workers antibodies to pertussis antigens decayed rapidly within the first year after vaccination, but remained stable after 2, 3, and 4 years. This observation may have implications for the timing of booster vaccinations in adults.