RESUMO
Epidemiologically, the relevance of infection caused by hepatitis viruses is related mainly to their wide geographic distribution and the large number of infected individuals in all parts of the world. In this study, 668 residents from the islands around the Tucuruí Dam were selected. Blood samples were collected for investigation of serological markers (HBsAg, total anti-HBc, anti-HBS, and anti-HCV) by enzyme immunoassays. HCV-positive subjects were tested using RT-PCR and RFLP for the identification of viral genotypes. Among the 668 subjects studied, 1.9% were HBsAg positive, 28% were total anti-HBc positive, and 41.9% were anti-HBs positive. The anti-HBs marker alone (vaccine response) was detected in 25.7% of the volunteers. Anti-HCV antibody was detected in 2.2% of the subjects and genotype 1 was the predominant genotype (70%). The results indicate an intermediate level of HBV and HCV endemicity in the region studied, as well as low HBV vaccination coverage.
Assuntos
Hepacivirus/isolamento & purificação , Vírus da Hepatite B/isolamento & purificação , Hepatite B/epidemiologia , Hepatite C/epidemiologia , Adolescente , Adulto , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Biomarcadores/sangue , Brasil/epidemiologia , DNA Viral/genética , Feminino , Genótipo , Hepacivirus/genética , Anticorpos Anti-Hepatite B/sangue , Antígenos de Superfície da Hepatite B/sangue , Vírus da Hepatite B/genética , Anticorpos Anti-Hepatite C/sangue , Humanos , Técnicas Imunoenzimáticas , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Polimorfismo de Fragmento de Restrição , Prevalência , RNA Viral/genética , Fatores de Risco , Rios , Adulto JovemRESUMO
INTRODUCTION: Viral hepatitis is a major public health concern in Brazil. There are few past studies on this issue, especially among riparian communities. This study aims at determining the seroprevalence of viral hepatitis B and C in the riparian community of Pacuí Island, within the Cametá municipality of Pará State, Brazil. Moreover, this study aims to investigate the principal risk factors that this community is exposed to. METHODS: The current study has accessed blood samples from 181 volunteers who have answered an epidemiological questionnaire. Analyses on serological markers have been tested with commercial ELISA kits for detecting HBsAg, total anti-HBc, anti-HBs, and anti-HCV. Within seroreactive patients for HCV, RT-PCR and line probe assay have been performed to identify the viral genotype. RESULTS: In the serological marker analysis for hepatitis B, no reactivity for HBsAg, rate of 1.1% for total anti-HBc, and rate of 19.3% for anti-HBs have been observed. On hepatitis C, 8.8% seroprevalence has been found, in which 62.5% have gotten viral RNA. Among the risk factors studied, the following have been highlighted: non-use of condoms, sharing of cutting instruments, use of illicit drugs, and reports of family disease with HBV or HCV. CONCLUSIONS: The vaccination coverage against HBV is low, and the high prevalence of HCV within this community has been observed.