ABSTRACT
A community-based random survey was conducted in a southern Brazilian Amazonian county aiming to investigate hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection prevalence and the association of demographic variables and lifestyle behaviours. Seven hundred eighty individuals were serologically screened with a third generation enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to detect anti-HCV antibodies between 1994/1995. Positive samples were retested for confirmation with a line immunoassay (LIA, Inno-LIA HCV Ab III). Most of these subjects were low income and came from southern Brazilian states (65.8). Two point four percent (IC 95 percent 1.2 percent- 4.6 percent) of the subjects had LIA-confirmed anti-HCV antibodies reactivity. The age-specific prevalence of HCV antibodies slightly increased with age, with the highest prevalence after the age of 40 years. The results of multivariate analysis indicate a strong association between HCV antibodies and previous surgery and history of intravenous drug use. There were no apparent association with gender, hepatitis B virus markers, blood transfusion, and sexual activity. Mean time living in Amazon did not differ between confirmed and negative anti-HCV individuals. The present data point out an intermediate endemicity of HCV infection among this immigrant community to the Amazon region and that few HCV infected participants presented known risk factors
Subject(s)
Humans , Female , Adult , Child , Adolescent , Middle Aged , Hepacivirus/isolation & purification , Hepatitis C Antibodies/blood , Hepatitis, Viral, Human/epidemiology , Age Distribution , Brazil/epidemiology , Hepatitis, Viral, Human/transmission , Hepatitis, Viral, Human/virology , Life Style , Logistic Models , Prevalence , Risk Factors , Seroepidemiologic Studies , Sex DistributionABSTRACT
Foram coletadas 175 amostras sangüíneas de pacientes hemodialisados em 8 centros de diálise de Goiânia,Goiás. Todas as amostras foram analisadas através do insaio imunoenzimático(ELISA),visando á detecçäo do vírus da hepatite B (VHB), através dos marcadores HBsAg, AntiHBs e AntiHBc-total. Observaram-se 111(63,4 por cento)pacientes soropositivos ao VHB, sendo que destes, 01(0,6 por cento) foi positivo apenas para HBsAg,23(13,1 por cento)apresentaram HBsAg e AntiHBc-total, 07(4,0 por cento) apresentaram somente o antiHBs, 29(16,6 por cento)apresentaram antiHBs e antiHBc-total, e 51(29,1 por cento) apresentaram somente o antiHBc-total. A análise de soropositividade em relaçäo ao tempo em que esta populaçäo se submeteu à diálise mostrou-se estatisticamente significante para aquisiçäo da infecçäo (p<0,01). Os dados indicam alta prevalência do VHB entre pacientes dialisados de Goiânia-GO. Desta forma, sugerimos monitoramento e vacinaçäo destes pacientes com a finalidade de melhoramento do controle da infecçäo
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Child , Adolescent , Adult , Middle Aged , Hepatitis B , Dialysis/adverse effects , Brazil , Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay , Hemodialysis Units, HospitalABSTRACT
In order to detect hepatitis B virus (HBV), 1459 serum samples from pregnant/parturient women were collected at two public hospitals in Goiânia, GO. These samples were tested by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay for HBsAg and anti-HBs. 109 (7.5 per cent) serum samples were positive. Eight (0.5 per cent) sera were positive for HBsAg and 101 (7.0 per cent) for anti-HBs. Viral positivity for both HBsAg and anti-HBs were observed in women which age ranged from 15 to 30 years. Four newborns from HBsAg positive mothers were submitted to the treatment with HBV vaccine (Engerix B) and with hyperimmune gammaglobulin (HBIG, Abbott Laboratories, Brazil). Cord blood from one of the newborns was positive for HBsAg. A positive association was found between hepatitis B and sexually transmitted infections and blood transfusion. These results emphasize the need for prenatal screening for HBV in pregnant women and treatment of the newborns from AgHBs-positive mothers.