Low prevalence of anti-Orthopoxvirus neutralizing antibodies in an urban
population of Brazil
Abstract
Since 1999, Vaccinia virus (VACV) has been described as a causative
agent of bovine vaccinia (BV), a zoonotic disease that occurs mainly in
rural areas of Brazil. However, the circulation of VACV in urban
environments and its associated burden has been poorly explored.
Moreover, the current Mpox outbreak has raised questions regarding the
immune status of the worldwide population previous vaccinated against
smallpox. Hence, we conducted a cross-sectional study to better
understand the prevalence of anti-OPV neutralizing antibodies (NA) in a
susceptible urban population of Brazil. A total of 372 individuals were
sampled, yielding an overall seroprevalence of 16.9%
(CI95%=13.4–21.1), and antibodies titers ranging from 100 to 800
NU/ml. The prevalence of NA among vaccinated individuals (≥36yo) was
24.9% (IC 95%=19.5–31.2), and among those unvaccinated
(<36yo) was 6.7% (IC 95%=3.7–11.8). Multivariate logistic
regression analysis indicated that age ≥36yo and the presence of vaccine
take were independently associated with the presence of anti-OPV NA. Our
findings suggest that vulnerable populations could be subclinically
exposed to VACV in urban areas, drawing attention to alternative routes
of zoonotic VACV exposure. Our data is also important for better
strategies in order to mitigate zoonotic OPV infections mainly among
vulnerable populations.