Prevalence of isolated hepatitis B core antibody among injection drug users in Central Province of Iran

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BK viremia among Iranian Renal transplant candidates

Background: Primary infection with BK virus (BKV) is occurred during childhood and usually asymptomatic, but after initial infection, BKV may persist lifelong in the kidney and genitourinary tract. Reactivation may occur in individuals with compromised immunity such as renal transplant recipients. Due to the role of BKV in BK virus-associated nephropathy (BKVAN) and potentially renal allograft rejection, the detection of BKV in renal transplant candidates is very important. The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of BK viremia in end stage renal disease cases who were candidates for renal transplantation. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 50 cases with end stage renal disease who were candidates for renal transplantation were recruited from the main dialysis unit in Tehran, Iran. Presence of BK viremia was determined in plasma samples of cases using real time PCR. Results: A total of 50 renal transplant candidates with mean age 37.8±13 yr were enrolled in the study. Fifty two percent of subjects were male. Forty six (92) of them were under HD and 4 (8) were on PD. BK virus was not detected in any plasma samples of renal transplant candidates. Conclusion: This study showed absence of BK viremia in our renal transplant candidates. However, due to the important role of BKV in BKVAN and renal graft failure and rejection, further studies involving larger number of cases are required to elucidate the rate of the BKV in renal transplant candidates. © 2016, Iran J Pathol. All rights reserved

Seroprevalence of Hepatitis E Virus infection among volunteer blood donors in central province of Iran in 2012

Background and Objectives: Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a major public health concern in developing countries. HEV transmission occurs primarily by the fecal-oral route. It has also been reported that blood donors are potentially able to cause transfusion-associated hepatitis E in endemic areas. This study aimed to determine the seroprevalence of HEV infection among volunteer blood donors in Central province of Iran in 2012. Material and Methods: A total of 530 consecutive blood donor samples collected from Blood Transfusion Organization, Central Province of Iran. All samples were tested for the presence of IgG Hepatitis E antibody (anti-HEV) using enzymelinked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: From 530 blood donors, 91.9 were male and 8.1 were female. Overall, anti-HEV was found in 76 of 530 samples (14.3). There was no significant difference in HEV seropositivity between the subjects regarding gender and area of residence (urban vs. rural). Anti-HEV was distributed among all age groups. Although people aged 31-50 years had the highest prevalence, but there was no statistical difference between the age groups. Conclusion: This study shows a relatively high prevalence of anti-HEV in the blood donors of Central province of Iran. More investigations are needed to assess the potential benefit of adding HEV screening of blood products to the current blood donor selection criteria

Screening of family members of patients with acute brucellosis in an endemic area of Iran

Background and Objectives: Brucellosis is a zoonotic disease and it's still endemic in Iran. There are some reports regarding brucellosis infection in family members sharing same risk factors and remain unrecognized. However, few studies on the importance of family screening are available. We aimed to screen household members of index cases with acute brucellosis for detecting additional unrecognized cases in central province of Iran. Patients and Methods: 163 family members of 50 index cases were enrolled in the study. Standard Tube Agglutination Test (STA) and 2-mercaptoethanol (2ME) agglutination were checked in all samples. A case with STA titer � 1:80, 2-mercaptoethanol (2ME) agglutination � 40 and compatible signs and symptoms was considered positive for brucellosis. Results: 15 (9.2) of family members were seropositive for Brucella agglutinin and among them, 8 (53.3) were asymptomatic and 7 (46.7) were symptomatic. STA titer ranged from 1:80 to 1:640 in seropositive members. 4 of the 15 seropositive cases who identified by screening came from one index case with 6 family members. All symptomatic seropositive cases treated for Brucella infection and recovered without any complications in 6 months follow up. Conclusion: On the basis of our data, family members of brucellosis patients are at risk of disease acquisition, and screening of household members provides an effective way for early diagnosis and prompt treatment. However cost benefit of screening should be evaluated to reach definite decision for the implementation of the screening as a nationwide program

Occult hepatitis B virus infection in hemodialysis patients with isolated hepatitis B core antibody: A multicenter study

Occult hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is characterized by presence of HBV infection with undetectable hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). Occult HBV infection harbors potential risk of HBV transmission through hemodialysis (HD). The aim of this study was to assess the occult HBV infection in hemodialysis patients with isolated hepatitis B core antibody (anti-HBc). A total of 289 HD patients from five dialysis units in Tehran, Iran, were included in this study. Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), Hepatitis B surface antibody (anti-HBs), anti-HBc, Hepatitis C antibody (anti-HCV), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels were tested in all subjects. The presence of HBV-DNA was determined quantitatively in plasma samples of HD patients with isolated anti-HBc (HBsAg negative, anti-HBs negative and anti-HBc positive) by real-time PCR using the artus HBV RG PCR kit on the Rotor-Gene 3000 real-time thermal cycler. Of 289 patients enrolled in this study, 18 subjects (6.2, 95 confidence interval (CI), 3.5-8.9) had isolated anti-HBc. HBV-DNA was detectable in 9 of 18 patients (50, 95 CI, 27-73) who had isolated anti-HBc. Plasma HBV-DNA load was less than 50 IU/ml in all of these patients. Our study showed that detection of isolated anti-HBc could reflect unrecognized occult HBV infection in HD patients. The majority of these infections are associated with low viral loads. © 2010 International Society for Apheresis