RESUMEN
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is responsible for a large number of cases of chronic liver disease worldwide. A study of clinico-epidemiology of HCV infection was conducted in 214 patients who were seropositive for antibody to HCV (anti-HCV) in Srinagarind Hospital, Khon Kaen University, northeastern Thailand, during August 1997 to December 1998. There were 199 males, 15 females and their mean age was 34.96 +/- 9.75 years with a range from 16 to 72 years. The clinical features of acute hepatitis, chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and asymptomatic HCV infection were 2, 115, 15, 2 and 80 cases. Risk factors for HCV acquisition were intravenous drug use (IVDU), tattooing and blood transfusion in 46.7, 32.2 and 18.8% of cases, respectively. 23.36% had a history of multiple risk factors while 28.9% had no history of risk factor exposure.
Asunto(s)
Adolescente , Adulto , Distribución por Edad , Anciano , Transfusión Sanguínea/efectos adversos , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/epidemiología , Femenino , Hepatitis C/epidemiología , Hepatitis C Crónica/epidemiología , Humanos , Cirrosis Hepática/epidemiología , Neoplasias Hepáticas/epidemiología , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Factores de Riesgo , Abuso de Sustancias por Vía Intravenosa/complicaciones , Tatuaje/efectos adversos , Tailandia/epidemiologíaRESUMEN
Hepatitis B viral (HBV) infection is a common disease world wide. A study of clinico-epidemiology of HBV infection was conducted in 381 patients who seropositive for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) in Srinagarind Hospital, Khon Kaen University, Northeastern Thailand, during August 1997 to December 1998. 293 males, 88 females and their mean age was 30.96 +/- 12.78 years with a range from 15 to 77 years. The clinical features of acute hepatitis, chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and asymptomatic carrier were 2.36, 34.12, 4.99, 1.05 and 57.48% of cases. Possible routes for HBV transmission were family history of hepatitis, tattooing, intravenous drug addict and blood transfusion in 20.3, 11.3, 8.2 and 6.9% of cases, respectively. Signs of chronic liver disease were common in liver cirrhosis and HCC. Acute fulminating hepatitis was not found in this study.
Asunto(s)
Adolescente , Adulto , Distribución por Edad , Anciano , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/epidemiología , Femenino , Hepatitis B/epidemiología , Antígenos de Superficie de la Hepatitis B/sangre , Hepatitis B Crónica/epidemiología , Humanos , Cirrosis Hepática/epidemiología , Neoplasias Hepáticas/epidemiología , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Tailandia/epidemiologíaRESUMEN
Thirty-five strains of Aeromonas hydrophila isolated from feces of diarrheal patients and from the environments were collected from Thailand and Japan. The physiological, biochemical, and serological characteristics, antibiotic resistance patterns and cell surface-related properties were compared. The diarrheal and environmental isolates of A hydrophila were found to be remarkably consistent in general culture and biochemical characteristics, with the exception of the reaction to D-arabinose in which the diarrheal strains were positive and environmental strains were negative. The plasmid patterns and cell surface-related properties of the environmental and diarrheal isolates were different. All strains produced Vero cell cytotoxin, hemolysin and lecithinase at 37 degrees, 30 degrees and 15 degrees C. In contrast, 83% of the environmental strains produced these virulence factors even at 4 degrees C. All strains indicated almost uniform susceptibility to the 16 antibiotics tested. Variations were found in the plasmid profile, toxin production in relation to the differences of temperature and cell surface-related properties of the strains. These variations between the clinical and environmental isolates could have potential as epidemiological markers for the sources of strains.