title: Prevalence of hepatitis B and C and HIV antibodies in children in a Romanian orphanage.
abstract: Two hundred and fifteen children in an orphanage in Romania were examined for serum markers of present or past hepatitis B and C virus and HIV infection. In total, 183 children (85.1%) had at least one marker (HBsAg, anti-HBs or anti-HBc) of hepatitis B virus infection. An HBsAg carrier state was diagnosed in 38 (20.8%) of the infected children. Among the carriers 24.3% were HBeAg carriers, 51.4% had anti-HBe and 24.3% had neither HBe antigen nor antibody. Nine children (4.2%) had antibodies to hepatitis C virus. All sera were negative in tests for HIV antibodies. False-positive reactions represented a considerable problem with these sera. Six percent of the sera gave false-positive reactions in indirect ELISA tests for hepatitis C and HIV. Sera giving false-positive reactions had rather high serum IgG levels. The results of this study indicate that these children have been heavily exposed to hepatitis B virus and to a certain degree to hepatitis C virus, while there were no cases of HIV infection in this orphanage.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Gade Institute, University of Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Haukenes
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Brinchmann-Hansen
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Macovei
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002674:Child, Institutionalized; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D015483:HIV Antibodies / Q000097:blood*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000276:immunology; D015498:HIV-2 / Q000276:immunology; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000276:immunology; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000097:blood*; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000097:blood; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000276:immunology; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D015995:Prevalence; D012383:Romania / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D015483:HIV Antibodies; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens