Elevated hepatitis A and E seroprevalence rates in a Texas/Mexico border community.
Two seroprevalence studies of viral hepatitis A and hepatitis E were conducted in El Paso, Tex, and Cd Juárez, Mexico. Subjects were randomly selected, low-income pregnant women. Blood from 557 women in El Paso and 307 women in Cd Juárez, obtained from routine prenatal testing, was analyzed for antibodies to hepatitis A and hepatitis E. Women from both cities showed high seroprevalence rates of hepatitis A (75.8% in El Paso and 96.1% in Cd Juárez). Rates increased significantly by age, with 100% of women in Cd Juárez older than 28 years testing positive. Nationality and ethnicity were significantly associated with hepatitis A seroprevalence: Mexican nationals, 96.1%; US Hispanics, 78.8%; and US Caucasians, 36.4% (P < .001). With respect to hepatitis E, 0.4% of women in El Paso and 1.6% of women in Cd Juárez tested positive for anti-HEV. The rate of hepatitis A seroprevalence was higher for women with lower educational levels and for women residing in crowded households, but these findings were not statistically significant.
Redlinger
T
T
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso 79968, USA.
O'Rourke
K
K
Nickey
L
L
Martinez
G
G
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006506:Hepatitis A / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016751:Hepatitis E / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016752:Hepatitis E virus / Q000276:immunology*; D006507:Hepatovirus / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008800:Mexico / Q000453:epidemiology; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D013781:Texas / Q000453:epidemiology; D018505:Waste Management; D014881:Water Supply
D000914:Antibodies, Viral