Serum Level of Anti-Hepatitis B Surface Antigen 18 Years after Vaccination in Students of Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Iran

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is one of the most common viral infections and amongst the top health priorities worldwide. Due to frequent exposure, medical students are at high risk of developing HBV infection. This study was conducted to evaluate serum level of anti-HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) 18 years after HBV vaccination in students of the Golestan University of Medical Sciences (Gorgan, Iran).

In this cross-sectional study, 241 students (18-20 years old, 137 women) who had been vaccinated at infancy were enrolled. After recording demographic data, blood sample was taken to measure HBsAg, HBs anti-body (HBs-Ab) and HBc antibody (total HBcAb) using commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. Data were analyzed by the chi-square test using SPSS 16 and at significance of 0.05.

HBsAb titer of less than 10 mlU/ml was found in 167 (69.3%) participants (89 females and 78 males). Positive HBsAg and anti-HBcAb were not observed in the subjects. There was no significant relationship between antibody titer and sex, body mass index, place of residence and ethnicity (P>0.05).

The high number of medical students with seronegative antibody levels is a cause for concern. In this regard, more attention should be paid to high risk students in medical school of the Golestan Province.