Despite the progress in treatment modality, tetanus still has a high mortality rate. However, the morbidity of tetanus can be decreased through proper prophylactic measures. Although Center for Disease Control((CDC) recommands Td or Td/TIG
injection
depending on prior immunization state and wound character, TIG alone is being injected to patient with open wound for tetanus prophylaxis in Korea.
Therefore, we studied antitetanus antibody titers after injecting 250IU of TIG to evaluate TIG's duration of immunization effect, in vivo.
TIG 250IU was injected to 42 healthy adult volunteers and their antitetanus antibody titers were measured at prior to TIG injection, 1 week and 4 weeks after injection. Antibody titers were measured by using ELISA assay with IMMUNOZYM(r)-TETANUS
and
their results were verified by using the standard t-test.
Mean antitetanus antibody titers were 0.167±0.03IU/mL, 0.211±0.03IU/mL and 0.186±0.03IU/mL at before injection, 1 week and 4 weeks after injection, respectively. Antibody titers showed significant difference between values at before injection
and 1
week after injection. However, no difference was found between the values before injection and 4 weeks after injection.
The practice of injecting TIG 250IU alone for prophylaxis has little effect on maintaining an increased antitetanus antibody titer until 4 week after injection.
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