ABSTRACT
This paper reports survey-based data on the diagnosis and management of genital herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection in 14 countries of the Eastern European Network for Sexual and Reproductive Health (EE SRH). Only 43% of the countries could provide the number of genital HSV cases recorded at national level. Eighty-six percent of countries employed syndromic management in cases of genital ulcer disease. Most countries performed type-specific and/or non-type-specific enzyme immunoassays to detect HSV antibodies. Non-type-specific serology for diagnostic purposes should be actively discouraged. Direct detection methods for HSV, such as PCR, antigen detection and culture, are available in the region, but their usage was extremely low. Their use in Eastern European countries should be actively promoted. The availability of laboratory services must be improved, and countries in the region should implement consensus recommendations for the laboratory diagnosis of genital HSV infections in order to improve clinical practice.
Subject(s)
Clinical Laboratory Techniques/statistics & numerical data , Diagnostic Services/statistics & numerical data , Herpes Genitalis/diagnosis , Simplexvirus , Virology/methods , Antibodies, Viral/blood , Antigens, Viral/blood , Biomarkers/blood , Europe/epidemiology , Health Care Surveys , Herpes Genitalis/epidemiology , Herpes Genitalis/therapy , Herpes Genitalis/virology , Humans , Immunoenzyme Techniques/statistics & numerical data , Mandatory Testing , Polymerase Chain Reaction/statistics & numerical data , Predictive Value of Tests , Reagent Kits, Diagnostic/statistics & numerical data , Serologic Tests/statistics & numerical data , Simplexvirus/genetics , Simplexvirus/immunology , Simplexvirus/isolation & purification , Surveys and Questionnaires , Virology/statistics & numerical dataABSTRACT
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes are relevant to epidemiological questions, vaccine development, and clinical management of chronic HCV infection. The aim of this study was to determine HCV genotypes of South Hungarian and Southeast Austrian patients with chronic hepatitis C. Results were obtained by the largely automated TruGene HCV 5'NC Genotyping Kit (Visible Genetics, Toronto, Ontario) and by phylogenetic analysis. All of the 20 Hungarian patients and 15 out of 20 Austrian patients were infected with genotype 1. The remaining Austrian patients were infected with genotypes 3 or 2. With the commercially available assay, it was not possible to determine the HCV subtype in a total of three patients. The TruGene HCV 5'NC Genotyping assay for the determination of HCV genotypes proved to be useful for a high-throughput routine diagnostic laboratory.
Subject(s)
Genome, Viral , Hepacivirus/genetics , Hepatitis C, Chronic/virology , Alanine Transaminase/blood , Austria/epidemiology , Biomarkers , Diagnostic Tests, Routine , Genotype , Hepacivirus/classification , Hepacivirus/isolation & purification , Hepatitis C, Chronic/enzymology , Hepatitis C, Chronic/epidemiology , Humans , Hungary/epidemiology , Phylogeny , Polymerase Chain Reaction , Reagent Kits, DiagnosticABSTRACT
Little is known of the frequency of norovirus infections in sporadic gastroenteritis cases. In a 4-y study, we examined 1152 rota-, adeno- and astrovirus negative stool samples for human noroviruses; 187 (16.2%) proved to be positive. Stool samples were from paediatric patients with acute gastroenteritis. All isolates were verified as sporadic cases: there was no accumulation.