Seroprevalence of Viral Hepatitis in Riverine Communities from the Western Region of the Brazilian Amazon Basin

The western region of the Brazilian Amazon Basin has long been shown to be a highly endemic area for hepatitis B and hepatitis D viruses. Data concerning the prevalence of hepatitis C and E viruses in this region are still scarce. In this study we investigated the presence of hepatitis A, B, C, D and E viruses infection in communities that live along the Purus and Acre rivers in the states of Acre and Amazonas within the Amazon Basin. A total of 349 blood samples were collected and tested for hepatitis A-E serological markers (antibodies and/or antigens) using commercial enzyme linked immunosorbent assays. Anti-HCV positive sera were further assayed by an immunoblot. HBsAg positive sera were subtyped by immunodifusion. The overall prevalence for hepatitis A, B, C, and E were 93.7%, 66.1%, 1.7%, and 4%, respectively. A very high prevalence of delta hepatitis (66.6%) was found among HBsAg positive subjects. Hepatitis A, B and D viruses were shown to be largely disseminated in this population, while hepatitis C and E viruses infection presented low prevalence rates in this region. The analysis of risk factors for HBV infection demonstrated that transmission was closely associated with sexual activity

Hepatite A no Município do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil: padrão epidemiológico e associação das variáveis sócio-ambientais. Vinculando dados do SINAN aos do Censo Demográfico Hepatitis A in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: epidemiological pattern and socio-environmental variables. Cross-analysis of SINAN and population census data

Objetivamos discutir a vinculação do Sistema de Informações de Agravos de Notificação (SINAN) e do Censo Demográfico para conhecer o contexto sócio-ambiental da hepatite A, analisando a contribuição das variáveis ambientais e sócio-demográficas para ocorrência de casos notificados e confirmados da infecção. Também, com base nas informações individuais sobre os casos de hepatite A notificados e confirmados, obtidos no SINAN, discutimos o padrão de endemicidade no Município do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. No estudo agregado, a unidade de análise foi o setor censitário e as informações do Censo 2000, associadas à localização dos 1.553 casos notificados e confirmados de hepatite A ocorridos na cidade entre 1999-2001. Observou-se um padrão epidemiológico entre alta e média endemicidades, indicando situação menos favorável do que a observada nos estudos soro-epidemiológicos. A média rank do número de domicílios com condições sócio-ambientais desfavoráveis foi maior nos setores censitários de sobre-risco para hepatite A (dois ou mais casos) com significância estatística pelo teste de Mann-Whitney. As variáveis sócio-demográficas mostraram ter maior influência do que as ambientais na ocorrência de casos: maior percentual de pobreza e de menores de cinco anos apresentou as maiores diferenças de médias rank.<br>This article discusses the linking of data from SINAN (the Reportable Diseases Database) and population census in Brazil to identify the socio-environmental context of hepatitis A, analyzing the contribution by environmental and socio-demographic variables to reported and confirmed cases of hepatitis A. Also, based on individual case data provided by SINAN, we discuss the pattern of hepatitis A endemicity in the city of Rio de Janeiro. At the aggregate level, the unit of analysis was the census tract and census data, associated with the location of 1,553 cases in the city from 1999 to 2001. The observed pattern was high to medium endemicity, indicating a less favorable situation than observed by sero-epidemiological studies. The mean rank of number of households with unfavorable conditions was higher in the census tracts with excess risk of hepatitis A (two or more cases), a statistically significant result according to the Mann-Whitney Test. Socio-demographic variables had more impact than environmental ones (poverty and children in the household less than 5 years of age showed the highest mean ranks)

Seroepidemiological markers of enterically transmitted viral hepatitis A and E in individuals living in a community located in the north area of Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil

We investigated the seroprevalence of hepatitis A virus (HAV) and hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection in subjects living in the community of Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and assisted at the Health Unit of Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. After formal consent, individuals were submitted to an interview using a standardized questionnaire. Anti-HAV and anti-HEV antibodies were detected by ELISA. Statistical analysis was carried out using the Epi-Info 6.04b software, to investigate possible associations between serological markers and risk factors. Results were regarded as significant when p value &lt; 0.05. Although a high prevalence of anti-HAV was observed (87%), almost 50% of subjects under the age of 10 were susceptible to HAV infection, an unexpected rate in endemic areas. This fact could be attributed to improvements in environmental sanitation, occurring in this area in the last years. The increasing proportion of susceptible people may result in outbreaks of HAV infection, since the virus still circulates in this area, as verified by the detection of anti-HAV IgM in some individuals. No statistical association was met between HAV infection and the risk factors here assessed. The anti-HEV IgG prevalence found in this population was 2.4%, consistent with the one found in non-endemic areas

Ultrastructural localization of Hepatitis C virus positive and negative strand RNA and proteins in Hepatocytes of a Rhesus Monkey (Macaca Mulatta)

Submitted by Sandra Infurna ([email protected]) on 2017-01-18T11:25:52Z No. of bitstreams: 1 selma_majerowicz_etal_IOC_2010.pdf: 1093154 bytes, checksum: f2cd42822ebaee8c5987159bbe82f820 (MD5)Approved for entry into archive by Sandra Infurna ([email protected]) on 2017-01-18T11:35:29Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 selma_majerowicz_etal_IOC_2010.pdf: 1093154 bytes, checksum: f2cd42822ebaee8c5987159bbe82f820 (MD5)Made available in DSpace on 2017-01-18T11:35:29Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 selma_majerowicz_etal_IOC_2010.pdf: 1093154 bytes, checksum: f2cd42822ebaee8c5987159bbe82f820 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Rio de Janeiro, RJ. Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Rio de Janeiro, RJ. Brasil / NIBSC. Potters Bar. Herts, EN6 3QG, Inglaterra.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Rio de Janeiro, RJ. Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Rio de Janeiro, RJ. Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Rio de Janeiro, RJ. Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Rio de Janeiro, RJ. Brasil.Universidade Federal Fluminense. Instituto Biomédico. Niterói, RJ, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto de Tecnologia em Imunobiológicos. Rio de Janeiro, RJ. Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Rio de Janeiro, RJ. Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Rio de Janeiro, RJ. Brasil.Morphological alterations of the liver from rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) experimentally infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) were analyzed using electron microscopy. The localization of viral RNA and proteins inside hepatocytes was demonstrated using in situ hybridization and immunoelectron microscopy techniques. The animals were inoculated by different routes. The infection was successful only by use of the intrasplenic approach to HCV infected autogenic hepatocyte transplant. The inoculum used to infect the hepatocytes was characterized as genotype 3 with 107 RNA copies/mL. In situ hybridization was performed using a complementary negative and positive strand probe made with the specific primer. Despite that the level of HCV infection was considered to be low, we were able to detect and localize viral positive and negative RNA strands and viral proteins in altered membranes of the rough endoplasmic reticulum in infected liver cells, showing evidence of viral replication in vivo