Seroprevalence of hepatitis B and C and HIV in Malawian pregnant women.
OBJECTIVE
to describe the seroprevalence of hepatitis B (HBV) and C (HCV) infection in HIV-positive and HIV-negative pregnant women from rural Malawi.


METHODS
descriptive study using serum samples collected between 1993-1995 in the Shire valley in rural Malawi. Fifty HIV-positive and 100 HIV-negative samples were selected randomly from 153 HIV-positive and 443 HIV-negative women delivering in the hospital.


RESULTS
evidence of HBV and HCV infection was found in 71.7 and 16.5% of women, respectively. Chronic carriage of HBV (HBsAg positive) is high (13%) and in agreement with prevalences reported from highly endemic areas. Exposure to HBV and HCV probably occurred well before adulthood as the prevalence of anti-HBc antibody was high in young mothers <20 years of age (22/27; 81%).


CONCLUSIONS
HBV and HCV infections are highly endemic in rural Malawi. There was no statistical evidence to suggest that HIV positivity was associated with an increased prevalence of HBV or HCV markers. Infection with HBV or HCV was not statistically associated.
Ahmed
S D
SD
Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, UK.
Cuevas
L E
LE
Brabin
B J
BJ
Kazembe
P
P
Broadhead
R
R
Verhoeff
F H
FH
Hart
C A
CA
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000097:blood; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000097:blood; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D008295:Malawi / Q000453:epidemiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology; D015995:Prevalence; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies
D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies