Cross-Sectional Study of Hepatitis A Virus Infection in the Pantanal Population before Vaccine Implementation in Brazil: Usage of Non-Invasive Specimen Collection

Population-based prevalence studies are essential tools for screening of hepatitis A and provide important data on susceptible groups. However, surveillance in isolated communities is difficult because of the limited access to these areas and the need for blood sample collection. This study aimed to...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of environmental research and public health 2015-06, Vol.12 (7), p.7357-7369
Main Authors: Tourinho, Renata Santos, de Almeida, Adilson José, Villar, Livia Melo, Murat, Paula Guerra, Capelin, Gina Jonasson Mousquer, Castro, Ana Rita Coimbra Motta, de Paula, Vanessa Salete
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Body fluids
Brazil - epidemiology
Child
Child, Preschool
Cross-Sectional Studies
Epidemiology
Female
Hepatitis
Hepatitis A - epidemiology
Hepatitis A Antibodies - analysis
Hepatitis A Antibodies - blood
Hepatitis A virus
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Prevalence
Saliva - chemistry
Seroepidemiologic Studies
Vaccination - statistics & numerical data
Vaccines
Vaccines - therapeutic use
Young Adult
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Summary:Population-based prevalence studies are essential tools for screening of hepatitis A and provide important data on susceptible groups. However, surveillance in isolated communities is difficult because of the limited access to these areas and the need for blood sample collection. This study aimed to determine the anti-HAV prevalence using oral fluid samples to provide an alternative tool for epidemiological studies that might be useful for vaccination-related decisions. The study population was composed of 224 volunteers from South Pantanal, aged 3 to 86 years old. This study was performed using oral fluids, previously standardized for anti-HAV antibody detection, which were collected using a ChemBio device. Eluates were tested using modified commercial EIA to detect anti-HAV antibodies. The overall prevalence was 79.1%, corresponding to 178 reactive EIA tests out of 224 samples. The age stratified data revealed a prevalence of 47.8% between 0-10 years, 84% in 11-20 years and 91.9% in subjects older than 21 years. Results indicate that hepatitis A prevalence was higher in adolescents and adults, corroborating the literature reports. Thus, oral fluid samples could replace serum in HAV epidemiological studies in isolated communities as they are efficient at detecting anti-HAV antibodies.
ISSN:1660-4601
1661-7827
1660-4601
DOI:10.3390/ijerph120707357