Abstract

TORRES-RIVES, Bárbara et al. Tetanus and diphtheria antitoxin levels related to the HLA-B27 allele in Cuban patients with non-infectious anterior uveitis. Vaccimonitor [online]. 2021, vol.30, n.1, pp.10-17.  Epub Feb 01, 2021. ISSN 1025-028X.

Non-infectious anterior uveitis is an inflammatory disease of the eye that affects the uveal tract and can cause total blindness and other visual disabilities. Autoimmune and inflammatory diseases are associated with qualitative and quantitative alterations in the immune response; therefore, the levels of tetanus and diphtheria antitoxin related to the HLA-B27 allele were evaluated in Cuban patients with non-infectious anterior uveitis. Tetanus and diphtheria antitoxin levels were determined by ELISA in 190 patients with non-infectious anterior uveitis and healthy control individuals. 97.37% of patients with uveitis showed protective tetanus antitoxin levels greater than and equal to 0.1 IU/mL as well as healthy controls (98.95%) (p=0.4385). The proportions of patients with non-infectious anterior uveitis and presumably healthy controls in the different levels of protective tetanus antitoxin were similar (p>0.05) at all levels of protection, as were the geometric mean titers for this antitoxin (p=0.2907). Patients with uveitis aged 65 years or older had a higher proportion of individuals with long-term reliable protective titers (>1.0 IU/mL) of diphtheria antitoxin (p=0.0065). In uveitis patients, no association was observed between the presence of the HLA-B27 allele and the antibody response against tetanus toxoid (p=0.6196) and diphtheria (p=0.1917). Similarly, 37.9% of patients with uveitis and 42% of their controls had non-protective titers (<0.1 IU/mL) of diphtheria antitoxin (0.1148). Most patients with anterior uveitis and control subjects were protected against tetanus (p>0.05), while in patients with uveitis and supposedly healthy controls, aged 18 years or older, the administration of booster doses with diphtheria toxoid should be reevaluated to achieve higher levels of protection against diphtheria.

Keywords : tetanus; diphtheria, antitoxins; vaccines, uveitis; HLA-B27 antigen.

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