Prevalence of hepatitis E antibodies in healthy persons in southern Italy
| Autor: | Maria Pavia, M. A. Veratti, Italo F. Angelillo, E. Iiritano |
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| Přispěvatelé: | Pavia, M, Iiritano, E, Veratti, M. A., Angelillo, Italo Francesco |
| Rok vydání: | 1998 |
| Předmět: |
Microbiology (medical)
Adult Male medicine.medical_specialty HBsAg Adolescent medicine.disease_cause Antibodies Viral Serology Hepatitis E virus Internal medicine Epidemiology medicine Prevalence Outpatient clinic Seroprevalence Humans Aged Hepatitis Aged 80 and over business.industry General Medicine Middle Aged medicine.disease Hepatitis E Infectious Diseases Italy Immunology Female business |
| Zdroj: | Scopus-Elsevier |
| ISSN: | 0300-8126 |
| Popis: | The aim of the study was to evaluate the seroprevalence of HEV antibodies in blood donors and in healthy persons in Calabria (Italy). An age-stratified sample of blood from donors was drawn at a regional transfusion service. Sixty persons were enrolled for each of the following age-groups: 18-20, 21-30, 41-50, 51-60, > 60 years, whereas 61 persons were enrolled in the 31-40 age-group. In the oldest age-group 38 subjects were enrolled among healthy subjects attending an outpatient clinic. Participants were invited to fill in a questionnaire, including questions on demographics, such as sex, date and place of birth, place of residence, number of people in household, and occupation; exposure to specific risk factors, such as travel in hepatitis E endemic areas; history of jaundice and/or hepatitis; drug addiction and transfusion. Results of routine serological tests for blood donation (HBsAg, HCV, HIV, ALT) were also recorded. Serum samples of subjects were stored at -80 degrees C until tested. The seroprevalence of hepatitis E antibodies was studied using in parallel two commercial ELISA tests consisting of recombinant antigens and synthetic HEV polypeptides. Three hundred sixty-one persons were recruited and six of them were positive to HEV antibodies (1.7%) by the recombinant test, whereas four were positive by the synthetic peptides test (1.1%). Overall, three subjects were positive to both tests, with a prevalence of 0.8%. Of these two (0.7%) were men and one (1.3%) a woman. As to age, two (3.3%) were in the 51-60, and one (1.7%) in the > 60 age-group. None of the positive participants had travelled to highly endemic areas, and none were positive for HBsAg or HCV. The study confirms a low circulation of the HEV virus also in southern Italy, with a prevalence of infection more similar to that of northern European countries than to that of countries of the Mediterranean basin. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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