A clinical, epidemiological and laboratory study on avoiding the risk of transmitting viral hepatitis during vaccinations with the Dermojet protected by an anticontaminant disposable device.

Jet injectors may transmit blood-borne infections, such as hepatitis B virus (HBV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). To evaluate the safety of an anticontaminant disposable device which protects the jet injector apparatus, 22,714 healthy subjects were intradermally inoculated (38,162 inoculations) with a variety of vaccines. All the subjects were systematically followed-up clinically and epidemiologically for 6-18 months after inoculation; blood samples from 1619 subjects, before and 60-75 days after inoculation, were examined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for HBV, hepatitis C virus (HCV) and HIV. Before vaccination 212 (13.09%) subjects were positive: 204 positive for HBV markers and eight for the HCV marker. None of the subjects were positive for the anti-HIV marker. During the clinico-epidemiological surveillance and the laboratory investigations mentioned above no clinical viral hepatitis B or C case and no seroconversion to positivity for HBV or HCV markers among the susceptible persons in the group were reported. Considering that in similar situations there is a theoretical risk of transmission as high as 1 per 388 to 1 per 3367 injections and that in our case 38,162 inoculations were performed in 22,714 subjects with the same Dermojet protected by the same type of anticontaminant disposable device, no contamination risk being reported, the conclusion can be reached that jet injectors can be safely used in the medical practice if they are protected by the sterile anticontaminant disposable device.

Prevalence of hepatitis B and C virus markers among the members of the medical-sanitary staff from the Faculty of Dentistry "Carol Davila" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest.

This study was developed in an attempt to estimate the prevalence of hepatitis B and C virus markers in the sanitary personnel from dentistry clinics which represents a high risk group concerning both contamination and transmission of the infection. The results of the study showed a higher contamination by virus B than virus C. The distribution of contamination depending upon the position held by the staff members revealed a higher contamination incidence among medium level personnel than among high level personnel. The need to initiate this study is due to the high incidence of contamination with hepatitis B virus which calls for the implementation of prophylaxis measures to protect both the medical personnel and the patients.

[False-positive ELISA reactions for the hepatitis C virus and the human immunodeficiency virus after anti-influenzal vaccination]. / Reactii ELISA fals pozitive fata de virusul hepatitei C si virusul imunodeficientei umane dupa vaccinarea antigripala.

Possible appearance of ELISA false-positive results for hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) after vaccination against influenza was studied on 402 volunteers before, and 30 and 90 days after that. Our results prove that influenza vaccine can sometimes induce false-positive ELISA for HCV, but not for HIV. Their frequency is relatively small--0.96% in 10-20-years-old group and 3.1% in over 60 years age, while in 3-6 years age there were not registered this kind of reactions. The surveillance of individual ELISA-positive cases over time proves that cross-reacting antibodies HCV raised after vaccination against influenza are present only in second sera, that means 30 days after vaccination, but these antibodies disappeared 90 days later.