Prevalence of hepatitis A virus infection in Afro-Brazilian isolated communities in Central Brazil

To investigate hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection rates among isolated African-descendant communities in Central Brazil, 947 subjects were interviewed about demographic characteristics in all 12 isolated Afro-descendant communities existing in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Central Brazil, between...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz 2007-02, Vol.102 (1), p.121-123
Main Authors: Kozlowski,Aline G, Motta-Castro, Ana RC, Nascimento, Laura B, Silva, Ágabo MC, Teles, Sheila A, Villar, Livia M, Gaspar, Ana MC, Martins, Regina MB
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
African Continental Ancestry Group
Afro-Brazilian
Afro-Brazilian - hepatitis A virus - prevalence
Age Distribution
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Brazil - epidemiology
Child
Child, Preschool
Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
Female
Hepatitis A - diagnosis
Hepatitis A - epidemiology
Hepatitis A Antibodies - blood
Hepatitis A virus
Hepatitis A virus - immunology
Humans
Infant
Male
Middle Aged
PARASITOLOGY
Prevalence
Seroepidemiologic Studies
TROPICAL MEDICINE
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Summary:To investigate hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection rates among isolated African-descendant communities in Central Brazil, 947 subjects were interviewed about demographic characteristics in all 12 isolated Afro-descendant communities existing in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Central Brazil, between March 2002 and November 2003. Blood samples were collected and sera were tested for HAV antibodies (total and IgM anti-HAV) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The overall prevalence of HAV infection was 75.6% (95% CI: 72.7-78.3), ranging from 55.4 to 97.3%, depending on the communities studied. The prevalence of anti-HAV increased significantly with age, from 13.8% in the age 0-5 age group to 96.6% in those older than 40 years. The findings point out an intermediate endemicity of HAV infection in some Afro-Brazilian isolated communities in Central Brazil. In addition, the high proportion of susceptible young subjects could be target of future HAV vaccination programs.
ISSN:1678-8060
0074-0276
0074-0276
DOI:10.1590/S0074-02762007000100021