anyone have titers done to determine immunity?

[sarahlynne]

Anyone have experience with getting titers done to determine existing immunity to diseases? I am wondering if it is expensive (likely not covered as a routine proceedure), or maybe it is covered if physician says it is "neccessary". I have thought of this in the past and am just prompted now because we have had Whooping Cough in our community recently and I think several in my family actually may have had it, (and came through it fine, though it was annoying). My boys have had 2 doses of Dtap, and that is it for vax. I am curiousabout the whooping cough, and would prefer to have some others done at the same time if we were to go that route. Any advice? TIA.

[just_lily]

Here, they test titres for Ruebella and Chicken Pox as part of routine prenatal bloodwork. I was positive for R, but not CP (and had every doc I came accross tell me how RARE that is!!). I am in Canada so I have no idea how much it cost, but if they do it for all pregnant women I doubt it is much more than just a regular blood panel.

If your major concern is WC, I would just assume your boys are not immune. A full series of DTaP seems to only result in 60% immunity, and the actual disease may not leave you immune either. You may be better off researching how to treat it instead.

[tanyalynn]

I got the bloodwork done a couple years ago on myself (and insurance covered it, probably depends partly on your plan) to look mainly for whooping cough, but the doc ran cp, m, m, & r as well. It looks like I'll be getting whooping cough with the kids, so that was a bit helpful in accelerating my learning for how to get us through it, since I felt a bit more motivated. But other than that, which was helpful at the time, it didn't really change my decisions. My older was vaccinated but that was years ago and I'd be shocked if she didn't get sick as well, the younger isn't vaccinated and won't be, so no change there either, and I'm not going to vaccinate myself. So I'd think about what decisions you expect to make, or what other changes you will make knowing the results.

[sarahlynne]

This is not about making a decision about vaccination, really I suppose it comes down to curiosity ultimately. The scientist in me just wants to know what they have already come across (and handled) without the vax. I am wondering about the tetnus as that was really the only reason we did the Dtap anyway as it was difficult and expensive for us to obtain the youth tetnus singularly. Now we will not be completing the series, so I do wonder how much the first two have done - I have read that it takes (produces immunity) faster and lasts longer than commonly expected (the tetnus part), wondering if that is true in this case.

[nicolebeth]

I had prenatal titres--I thought they were just for rubella. I came up immune both times. (I was vaccinated as a child and before college; this was 12 years and 15 years post-vaccination.) DD was titred for CP and measles before school. (She was vaccinated for both--once.) She came up immune...whatever that means. DS was titred for tetanus last spring; he'd had three DTaPs, and I was debating giving him a DT. He came up as "low immunity"--I decided to give him that vaccine, though I'm not sure I will in the future.

I think the doctors can couch is as "child was exposed and we're checking immunity" or something like that. If you're not exempting your child, some schools allow titres instead of the second measles vaccine and the second CP vaccine (though, some also require that the kids actually had a documented case of CP as well). (Another reason why an exemption is better.)

[starling&diesel]

Don't know how much it would cost for you Americans, but I had it done when I became a paramedic, because my mother hadn't kept my immunization records. I wonder if your lovely, family doc could work it discreetly into another blood panel and hide the cost that way?
I was fully immune to all the biggies, by the by ... from vaccines from the 70's and early 80's.

[Gitti]

Titers are not reliable and immunity changes depending on proximity of contact. I would not rely on it.
Who knows what your titers would show a week or a year earlier or later?

Your way to check immunity is when there is an outbreak, expose your child. If s/he does not get symptoms, there is immunity.

Son-in-law never had cp and never even knew anyone with it but at the time he was tested for med school, he showed full immunity.

Grandkids have been exposed to cp three times in all sort of ways and have not shown one symptom of cp.
I guess they are immune.

I never had wc and was instructed to avoid my 3 cousins who had active wc. I did not listen and went to their house anyway. They practically coughed right on me since I was so curious when my cousins face turned blue from lack of air (btw he was fine!).
I never got wc. Guess I was immune at the time. wc is a little different than cp, since immunity does not last long and you can get the infection several times in your life. So that immunity means nothing.

Some years ago we had wc in our family and I also had it (nearest we could figure out since dh and I both coughed from late fall till early summer the next year).

I don't put any stalk in doing titers. I would do for instance for a job, or whatever...but not for personal information.

It is determined via a blood draw. Your doctor can order it.