title: Hepatitis C and arboviral antibodies in the island populations of Mauritius and Rodrigues.
abstract: A serological survey for antibodies to hepatitis C virus (HCV), dengue viruses (DEN), West Nile virus (WN), and sindbis virus (SIN) was carried out in sera of selected groups of the population of the Islands of Mauritius (n = 449) and Rodrigues (n = 115), Indian Ocean. 8.3% of 564 sera were positive for anti-HCV. In Mauritius, 2.1% of sera of healthy individuals were found with anti-HCV. The highest prevalence was found in sexually transmitted disease (STD) patients and prison inmates with 46.2% and 43.8%, respectively. None of the sera from blood donors sampled from Rodrigues Island had anti-HCV. Antibodies to arboviruses were detected in sera of individuals from both islands. Anti-DEN IgG was detected in 3.8% of sera from Mauritius and 0.9% from Rodrigues. Anti-WN IgG was detected in 2.2% of sera from Mauritius and 0.9% from Rodrigues. All sera from Rodrigues were without anti-SIN IgG, 1.1% of those from Mauritius were positive. This suggests that arboviruses occur on these islands.
authors.affiliation: Max von Pettenkofer Institute for Hygiene and Medical Microbiology, Ludwig Maximilians University, Munich, Federal Republic of Germany.
authors.forename: T F
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Schwarz
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dobler
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gilch
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Jäger
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D001103:Arboviruses / Q000276:immunology*; D003429:Cross Reactions; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003716:Dengue Virus / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000276:immunology*; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008436:Mauritius; D008875:Middle Aged; D012845:Sindbis Virus / Q000276:immunology; D014902:West Nile virus / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies