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SEROPREVALENCE OF VIRAL HEPATITIS IN RIVERINE COMMUNITIES FROM THE WESTERN REGION OF THE BRAZILIAN AMAZON BASIN
Affilliation
Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Departamento de Virologia. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.
Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Centro de Pesquisas Aggeu Magalhães. Departamento de Imunologia. Recife, PE, Brasil.
Universidade Federal Fluminense. Instituto Biomédico. Departamento de Microbiologia e Parasitologia. Niterói, RJ, Brasil.
Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Departamento de Virologia. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.
Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Centro de Pesquisas Aggeu Magalhães. Departamento de Imunologia. Recife, PE, Brasil.
Universidade Federal Fluminense. Instituto Biomédico. Departamento de Microbiologia e Parasitologia. Niterói, RJ, Brasil.
Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Departamento de Virologia. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.
Abstract
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.
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