Browsing by Author "Leidere-Reine, Aija"

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    Seroprevalence of diphtheria and measles antibodies and their association with demographics, self-reported immunity, and immunogenetic factors in healthcare workers in Latvia
    (2022-04) Leidere-Reine, Aija; Kolesova, Oksana; Kolesovs, Aleksandrs; Viksna, Ludmila; Department of Infectology; Klīniskās imunoloģijas un imunoģenētikas starpkatedru laboratorija; Institute of Microbiology and Virology
    Latvia is among European countries with outbreaks of diphtheria and measles. Healthcare workers (HCW) are exposed to infections and can transmit them to unvaccinated patients. We assessed the seroprevalence of antibodies against diphtheria and measles and their association with demographics, self-reported immunity, the presence of the HLA-B27 allele, and level of interferon regulatory factor 5 (IRF5) in Latvian HCW. Anti-diphtheria and anti-measles IgG antibodies and the level of IRF5 in serum were tested by enzyme immunoassay. The presence of the HLA-B27 allele was detected by a real-time polymerase chain reaction. The study involved 176 HCW, including 29% doctors and 44% nurses. Among HCW, 95.5% were seropositive for diphtheria. However, only 65.9% had full seroprotection against it. The seronegativity for measles (21.6%) was higher than for diphtheria (4.5%) without differences in gender and medical staff groups. Older age was associated with waning immunity against diphtheria and a higher rate of seropositivity for measles. Considered immunogenetic factors did not affect the level of antibodies, and variability of the level of IRF5 in serum can reflect ageing processes. Self-reported vaccination status had a low informative value regarding full seroprotection against diphtheria and seropositivity for measles indicating the need for pre-vaccination IgG screening in planning the booster vaccination.
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    Vaccination against influenza : Attitude of health care personnel in a multidisciplinary hospital in Latvia
    (2019-08-01) Viksna, Ludmila; Vilcans, Martiņš; Zeltiņa, Indra; Leidere-Reine, Aija; Krumiņa, Angelika; Koļesova, Oksana; Ļeviņa, Jeļena; Koļesovs, Aleksandrs; Department of Infectology; Klīniskās imunoloģijas un imunoģenētikas starpkatedru laboratorija
    Health care personnel (HCP) are at high risk of acquiring influenza due to exposure to patients. However, vaccination in HCP is lower than 40% for most European countries. The aim of this study was to determine the attitude towards influenza vaccination and possible reasons for this attitude in HCP. A cross-sectional study was performed in a multidisciplinary hospital of Latvia. The sample (n = 1099) included doctors (239), nurses (418), care services (236), administrative staff (108), and technical support staff (98). Five questions addressed vaccination of planned patients and HCP, knowledge of etiological anti-influenza drugs, and their storage at the hospital for immediate use. The results revealed that the level of regular vaccination against influenza in HCP was relatively low (14%). This contrasted with a more positive attitude towards vaccination of patients (53%) and personnel (60%). This contrast provided evidence for a low level of proactive action. High expectations regarding medications covered by the hospital (82%) indicated transferring of part of personal responsibility to the organisation. Doctors demonstrated a better understanding of the problem and a higher level of vaccination. However, some of doctors' attitudes showed underestimation of influenza-associated risk.