State and Factors of Measles Humoral Immunity among Staff of an Infectious Diseases Center

Aim: to assess the state of humoral immunity against measles and factors influencing its intensity among staff of an infectious diseases center.

Materials and methods: the study included 463 employees of the Federal Scientific and Clinical Center for Infectious Diseases. The concentration of specific immunoglobulin G against measles virus in blood serum was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. An antibody level of 0.18 international units per milliliter and above was considered protective. Data on age, professional status, vaccination history, and previous measles infection were collected. Student’s t-test and the chi-square test were used for statistical analysis.

Results: a non-protective level of measles antibodies was found in 12.9% of the examined staff. The highest proportion of seronegative individuals was detected in the 20-37 age group: 22.5% among medical and 30% among nonmedical personnel. In the group over 57 years old, this rate was 1-4%. No statistically significant differences were found in antibody levels between medical and non-medical workers, nor between individuals in direct contact with infectious patients and other staff. Among employees with documented two-dose and three-dose vaccination, the proportion of individuals without protective immunity was 17-18.5%. Administration of an additional (booster) vaccine dose to staff with non-protective titers after a complete vaccination course led to seroconversion or a significant increase in antibody levels in 90.9% of cases.

Conclusion: a significant proportion of staff at an infectious diseases center, especially young individuals, lack protective immunity against measles despite prior vaccination. Professional activity in an infectious diseases hospital setting is not a significant booster factor. The results justify the need to implement regular serological monitoring of measles immunity among all personnel, followed by revaccination of seronegative individuals.

1. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Measles on the rise in the EU/EEA: considerations for public health response. 16 February 2024. Stockholm: ECDC; 2024.

2. Mamaeva T.A., Zheleznovа N.V., Bichurinа M.A. [et al.]. Infektsiya i immunitet. 2020; 10(4): 717-728 (in Russian).

3. O sostoyanii sanitarno-epidemiologicheskogo blagopoluchiya naseleniya v Rossijskoj Federacii v 2024 godu: Gosudarstvennyj doklad. M.: Federal’naya sluzhba po nadzoru v sfere zashchity prav potrebitelej i blagopoluchiya cheloveka, 2025. 424 s.

4. Toptygina A.P., Andreev Yu.Yu., Smerdova M.A. [et al.]. Infektsiya i immunitet. 2021; 11(3): 517-522 (in Russian).

5. Belopol’skaya M.A., Grigor’eva T.D., Avrutin V.Yu., Potanina D.V. [et al.]. Zhurnal infektologii. 2020; 12(1): 80-84 (in Russian).

6. Robert A, Suffel AM, Kucharski AJ. Long-term waning of vaccine-induced immunity to measles in England: a mathematical modelling study. Lancet Public Health. 2024 Oct;9(10):766-775.

7. Bianchi FP, Stefanizzi P, Trerotoli P, Tafuri S. Sex and age as determinants of the seroprevalence of anti-measles IgG among European healthcare workers: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Vaccine. 2022 May 20;40(23):3127-3141.

8. Choi S, Chung J-W, Chang YJ, et al. Lesson from a Measles Outbreak among Healthcare Workers in a Single Hospital in South Korea: The Importance of Knowing the Prevalence of Susceptibility. Vaccines. 2023 Sep 20;11(9):1505.

9. Camilloni B, Stracci F, De Lio MC, et al. Measles immunity in healthcare workers of an Italian hospital. Journal of Infection and Public Health. 2020 Aug;13(8):1123-1125.

10. Kim C-J, Bae J-Y, Jun K-l. Risk of Absence of Measles Antibody in Healthcare Personnel and Efficacy of Booster Vaccination. Vaccines (Basel). 2021 May 12;9(5):501.

11. Krieger E.A., Samodova O.V. Infektsiya i immunitet. 2021; 11(3): 523-529 (in Russian).

12. Kostinov M.P., Filatov N.N., Zhuravlev P.I., Gladkova L.S. [et al.]. Pul’monologiya. 2018; 28(6): 701-707 (in Russian).

13. Lokotkova A.I., Khasanova G.R., Mamkeev E.Kh. Epidemiologiya i infektsionnyye bolezni. 2021; 26(4): 166-173 (in Russian).

14. Fappani C, Gori M, Canuti M, Terraneo M, Colzani D, Tanzi E, Amendola A, Bianchi S. Breakthrough Infections: A Challenge towards Measles Elimination? Microorganisms. 2022 Aug 4;10(8):1567.

15. O sanitarno-epidemiologicheskoj obstanovke v Rossijskoj Federacii v 2010 godu: Gosudarstvennyj doklad. – M.: Federalnyj centr gigieny i epidemiologii Rospotrebnadzora, 2011. – 431 s.