ABSTRACT
Hepatitis D virus (HDV) is a defective RNA virus that needs hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) from HBV for transmission. HDV can lead to fulminant hepatitis and the progression of chronic liver damage in patients with chronic hepatitis B. The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of HDV among HBsAg positive individuals in Ismailia, Egypt. Serum samples were collected from 170 HBsAg positive healthy individuals from Suez Canal University blood bank over a one year period. All of them were seeking blood donation and found to be HBsAg positive during viral hepatitis screening workups which is routinely done prior to donation. Serum samples were screened for IgG antibodies to hepatitis delta virus (HDV) using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. Anti-HDV antibodies were detected in 8 (4.7%) individuals aged from 29-43 years. Liver function tests showed that serum ALT and AST levels were elevated in the HBsAglanti-HDV positive cases. It is concluded that the rate of HDV infection in Ismailia is high and further investigation is needed to validate the findings and raise awareness about the risk of dual HBV and HDV infection.
Subject(s)
Hepatitis B Surface Antigens/blood , Hepatitis D/blood , Hepatitis D/epidemiology , Adult , Egypt/epidemiology , Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay , Humans , Male , Seroepidemiologic StudiesABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: The objective of the current study was to detect Staphylococcus aureus colonization and the presence of superantigen in atopic dermatitis (AD) in Egyptian patients, and to determine its effect on disease severity and serum interleukin (IL)-4 levels. METHODS: Swabs were taken from the skin of 30 patients with AD. S. aureus isolates were screened for the presence of genes of exotoxins with superantigen properties by multiplex PCR. Serum IL-4 was determined by ELISA. The rate of S. aureus colonization and the presence of superantigen were correlated with disease severity and IL-4 level. RESULTS: Twenty-six of 30 patients (87%) were colonized by S. aureus, and 14 of the 26 (54%) patients were colonized with toxigenic strains. The most frequent superantigen gene present in S. aureus isolates was that coding for staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB), followed by both staphylococcal enterotoxin C (SEC) and toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 (TSST-1) genes. The mean 'severity scoring in AD' (SCORAD) score of AD patients colonized with S. aureus harboring superantigen genes (74 ± 8) was significantly higher than that in those colonized with S. aureus isolates without superantigen genes (56 ± 6) (p<0.001). Serum IL-4 levels followed the same pattern. CONCLUSIONS: S. aureus may play an important role as an aggravating factor in AD patients. Reducing the colonization of atopic skin by S. aureus is therefore the best way to reduce superantigen-induced allergic skin inflammation.
Subject(s)
Dermatitis, Atopic/microbiology , Interleukin-4/blood , Skin/microbiology , Staphylococcus aureus/pathogenicity , Superantigens/immunology , Adolescent , Adult , Bacterial Toxins/genetics , Bacterial Toxins/isolation & purification , Child , Child, Preschool , DNA, Bacterial/genetics , Egypt/epidemiology , Enterotoxins/genetics , Enterotoxins/isolation & purification , Female , Humans , Male , Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction/methods , Sequence Analysis, DNA , Skin/pathology , Staphylococcal Infections/epidemiology , Staphylococcal Infections/pathology , Staphylococcus aureus/genetics , Staphylococcus aureus/isolation & purification , Superantigens/genetics , Superantigens/isolation & purification , Young AdultABSTRACT
Phagocyte function in the presence of tuberculosis (TB) assumes increasing importance in Africa, where TB is endemic and bacterial super infection is common. In this study a whole-blood flow cytometric assay was used to analyze the phagocytic capacity of granulocytes and monocytes in patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis. The assay measures the proportion of fluorescence-labelled cells with ingested bacteria and the capacity (fluorescence intensity) of each cell to phagocytose the bacteria. Fifteen patients and 10 healthy controls were assessed. The mean percentage of phagocytosing granulocytes was 82.5% (+/- 16%) in the TB patients, while in the control group it was 97.1% (+/- 2.5 %) (P<0.01). For monocytes, the mean percentage of phagocytozing cells was 57.6% (+/- 26%) in the TB group as compared to 85.8% (+/- 9.3 %) in the control group (P<0.001). On the other hand, granulocytes and monocytes from the TB patients showed significant reduction in the phagocytic capacity as shown by decreased mean florescence intensity (P<0.001). It is concluded that the phagocytic function in active pulmonary TB is impaired possibly contributing to the enhanced susceptibility to opportunistic infections in these patients.
