Epidemiology and Molecular Characterization of Hepatitis B Virus Infection in Isolated Villages in the Western Brazilian Amazon

Individuals from three isolated, rural communities in the western Brazilian Amazon were evaluated for serological markers of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, HBV genotype, and the presence of risk factors for infection and transmission. Of the 225 individuals studied, 79.1% had serological evidenc...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene 2012-10, Vol.87 (4), p.768-774
Main Authors: DA COSTA CASTILHO, Márcia, MARA COSTA DE OLIVEIRA, Cintia, DE LIMA GIMAQUE, Joao Bosco, DI TOMMASO LEAO, Jorge, MIRANDA BRAGA, Wornei Silva
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Biological and medical sciences
Brazil - epidemiology
Carrier State - epidemiology
Carrier State - immunology
Carrier State - virology
Child
Child, Preschool
Female
Hepatitis B - epidemiology
Hepatitis B - immunology
Hepatitis B - transmission
Hepatitis B - virology
Hepatitis B Antibodies - blood
Hepatitis B e Antigens - blood
Hepatitis B Surface Antigens - blood
Hepatitis B virus
Hepatitis B virus - genetics
Hepatitis B virus - immunology
Hepatitis B virus - isolation & purification
Human viral diseases
Humans
Infant
Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical
Infectious diseases
Male
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
Rural Population - statistics & numerical data
Viral diseases
Viral hepatitis
Young Adult
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Individuals from three isolated, rural communities in the western Brazilian Amazon were evaluated for serological markers of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, HBV genotype, and the presence of risk factors for infection and transmission. Of the 225 individuals studied, 79.1% had serological evidence of HBV infection; 10.2% individuals were chronic carriers for HBV surface antigen (HBsAg-positive). Analysis of risk factors indicates that HBV is transmitted mainly horizontally within the family from a chronic "active" carrier for hepatitis B "e" antigen (HBeAg-positive), though a strong possibility of vertical transmission remains. The predominance of HBV genotype F, with a higher genomic similarity between the isolates, indicated a relatively recent introduction of HBV, from a common source, to the area. This study sheds light on the HBV epidemiology in the Brazilian Amazon region and highlights the need for greater emphasis on HBV control and immunization programs.
ISSN:0002-9637
1476-1645
DOI:10.4269/ajtmh.2012.12-0083