ABSTRACT
Abstract INTRODUCTION: The Amazon tropical rainforest has the most dense and diverse ecosystem worldwide. A few studies have addressed rodent-borne diseases as potential hazards to humans in this region. METHODS: A retrospective survey was conducted using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for detecting mammarenavirus and orthohantavirus antibodies in 206 samples collected from rural settlers of the Brazilian Western Amazonian region. RESULTS: Six (2.91%) individuals in the age group of 16 to 36 years were found to possess antibodies against mammarenavirus. CONCLUSION: Evidence of previous exposure to mammarenavirus in the rural population points to its silent circulation in this region.
Subject(s)
Humans , Animals , Male , Female , Infant , Child, Preschool , Child , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Young Adult , Arenaviridae/immunology , Rodentia/virology , Disease Reservoirs/veterinary , Orthohepadnavirus/immunology , Arenaviridae Infections/epidemiology , Hepatitis, Viral, Human/epidemiology , Antibodies, Viral/blood , Arenaviridae/classification , Rodentia/classification , Rural Population , Socioeconomic Factors , Brazil/epidemiology , Retrospective Studies , Orthohepadnavirus/classification , Arenaviridae Infections/diagnosis , Arenaviridae Infections/transmission , Hepatitis, Viral, Human/diagnosis , Hepatitis, Viral, Human/transmission , Middle AgedABSTRACT
To determine hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes circulating in the central region of Argentina, 96consecutive anti-HCV positive subjects were studied. The presence of HCV RNA was detected in 60samples by RT-nested PCR of the 5Æ noncoding region (5Æ NCR). Genotyping was performed by restriction fragmentlength polymorphism analysis of 5Æ NCR region combined with PCR using type-specific primers of the core region.The groups of individuals in this study included hemophilia and hemodialysis patients, injecting drug users, screened blood donors, and patients with acute or chronic liver disease, all from Córdoba, Argentina. Overall, genotype 2 was the most prevalent (55.0%), followed by genotypes 1 (38.3 %), and 3 (5.0%). Within genotype 1, subtype 1b was the most prevalent. An unexpected high prevalence of genotype 2 (61.9%) was found among patients with acute or chronic HCV infection (without known risk factors). These figures differ from other cohorts from East-Argentina where genotype 1 has been found as the most prevalent. This indicates that regional differences of genotype distribution might exist between Central and East Argentina.