Investigation of the sero-epidemiology of vaccine preventable diseases and common viral infections in French populations using a multiplex serological assay

Abstract

Vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs) and common viral infections (CVIs) pose substantial public health challenges. Despite data collected through routine vaccination programs and through hospital-based case reporting systems, the understanding of population-level immunity to VPDs and CVIs remains limited. To address this challenge, this study focuses on the development and application of a high-throughput multiplex serological assay to assess IgG levels against a large panel of eight VPDs (e.g., tetanus, diphtheria, measles, mumps, rubella) and 18 CVIs that typically occur in early childhood (e.g., adenovirus, cytomegalovirus, respiratory syncytial virus). A cross-sectional study of 2,032 serum samples from French children and adults was used to optimize and validate a 47-plex assay. These antibody measurements allowed us to enhance our understanding of immunity, vaccination and booster dose effect, as well as antibody waning over time. Preliminary results demonstrate the importance of age-stratified IgG level measurements, revealing notable variation in seroprevalence patterns among different age groups. These findings suggest that there are variations in immunity and exposure to the targeted pathogens across these groups. These findings highlight the potential of high-throughput multiplex serology assays for routine surveillance of common viral infections and assessment of vaccine coverage.