Tetanus antitoxin levels among adults over 40 years of age in Central Anatolia, Turkey.

Objective: To determine tetanus antitoxin levels in adults and the aged.

Methods: This study was conducted on 249 adults over 40 years of age who applied to a blood-withdrawal unit in Kayseri, Central Anatolia. Tetanus toxoid-specific antibodies were measured in serum by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

Results: In the research group, only 63 persons (25.3%) were found to have protective levels (>0.1 IU/mL) of tetanus antitoxin. Antibody levels were significantly higher in educated people (30.7%), in those under 50 years of age (38.2%), in those who had been vaccinated at least twice (47.6%), and in those vaccinated not more than 10 years previously (58.3%). There was no association between antibody level and sex, occupation or place of residence.

Conclusion: Our findings indicated that tetanus antibody values were under the protective level for most adults over 40 years of age, and vaccination programs directed at the adult population should be developed.