ABSTRACT
Hepatitis A virus (HAV) is a major causative agent of acute hepatitis worldwide. Although discovered in 1973, due to limitations of applicable serological and/or molecular methods, HAV remained under limited diagnosis until the late 1980s. This study aimed to retrospectively evaluate the serological and molecular prevalence of the HAV infection among 421 (n = 421) patients with a clinical and laboratory suspicion of acute hepatitis who were admitted in a reference laboratory in the Brazilian Eastern Amazon during 1982 and 1983. The 421 serum samples were screened for anti-HAV IgM antibodies by enzymatic immunoassays. Positive samples were submitted to total RNA purification and tested by Nested reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction to amplify the HAV-RNA VP1-2A (522 bp) region. Anti-HAV IgM antibodies were detected in 66% (278/421) of the patients. The highest prevalence was observed among males (57.9%, 161/278), and most often among children under 10 years old (63.3%, 176/278). HAV-RNA was detected in 74.4% (207/278) of anti-HAV IgM positive samples. HAV genotyping was performed in 71 samples, and 69 were classified into subgenotype IA. Two samples belonged to the HAV subgenotype IIIA. In this sense, retrospective studies can help in understanding the evolution and determination of wild genotypes and subtypes of HAV.
Subject(s)
Hepatitis A virus , Hepatitis A , Acute Disease , Brazil/epidemiology , Child , Female , Genotype , Hepatitis A Antibodies , Humans , Immunoglobulin M , Male , Phylogeny , RNA, Viral , Retrospective StudiesABSTRACT
Histopathological evaluation of liver from 33 pigs slaughtered for human consumption in Amazon region, previously tested by serology and molecular techniques for hepatitis E virus infection (HEV), was analysed in three groups: Group 1, negative for both HEV-RNA and anti-HEV IgG (n=10); Group 2, positive for HEV-RNA (n=13); Group 3, positive for anti-HEV IgG (n=10). Group 2 showed a significant difference among the groups for liver lesions such as lobular activity (P=0.007), periportal interface hepatitis (P=0.004), portal inflammation (P=0.028) hepatitis with lobular, portal and periportal interface activity (P=0.001). HEV detection by immunohistochemistry was performed and 3 of 6 samples of group 2 were positive. Pigs naturally infected by HEV genotype 3 present microscopic necroinflammatory liver lesions similar to HEV in humans. Liver histopathology showed be important in the diagnosis of active asymptomatic HEV infection in pigs slaughtered for human consumption because hepatic liver lesions may present distinct profiles according to molecular and serological diagnosis and in this sense, histopathology and immunohistochemistry may be an important complementary diagnostic tool.(AU)
A avaliação histopatológica hepática de 33 suínos abatidos para consumo humano na região amazônica, previamente testados para infecção pelo vírus da hepatite E (HEV) por sorologia e técnicas moleculares, foi realizada em três grupos: Grupo 1, animais negativos para HEV-RNA e anti-HEV IgG (n=10); Grupo 2, positivos para HEV-RNA (n=13); e Grupo 3, positivos para anti-HEV IgG (n=10). O grupo 2 apresentou diferenças estatísticas significantes entre os grupos em relação à presença de atividade lobular (P=0,007), hepatite periportal de interface (P=0,004), inflamação portal (P= 0.028) e atividade lobular acompanhada por inflamação portal e periportal de interface (P=0,001). A detecção imunohistoquímica do HEV foi realizada e três de seis amostras do Grupo 2 foram positivas. Suínos naturalmente infectados pelo genótipo 3 do HEV apresentam lesões necroinflamatórias no fígado similares a lesão em humanos. A histopatologia hepática demonstrou ser importante no diagnóstico de infecção ativa e assintomática por HEV em suínos abatidos para consumo humano, pois as lesões no fígado apresentaram perfis diferenciados de acordo com o diagnóstico sorológico e molecular da infecção e, neste sentido, a histopatologia e imunohistoquímica podem representar importantes ferramentas complementares de diagnóstico.(AU)
Subject(s)
Animals , Swine/virology , Hepatitis E virus , Genotype , Liver/cytology , Liver/injuries , Immunohistochemistry/veterinaryABSTRACT
To date, nothing is known about the genetic diversity of the Echinococcus neotropical species, Echinococcus vogeli and Echinococcus oligarthrus. Here we used mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequence polymorphisms to uncover the genetic structure, transmission and history of E. vogeli in the Brazilian Amazon, based on a sample of 38 isolates obtained from human and wild animal hosts. We confirm that the parasite is partially synanthropic and show that its populations are diverse. Furthermore, significant geographical structuring is found, with western and eastern populations being genetically divergent.
