title: Prevalence of antibodies against hepatitis A and E viruses among rural populations of the Chaco region, south-eastern Bolivia.
abstract: We conducted a cross-sectional study to determine the seroprevalence of antibodies against hepatitis A and hepatitis E viruses (HAV and HEV) in the population of two rural areas, Camiri and Villa Montes, of the Chaco region, south-eastern Bolivia. HAV antibodies were detected in 461 (94.1%) of 490 serum samples tested, not differing significantly between sexes and study areas. The HAV seropositivity rate (64.7%) was high even in the youngest age group (1-5 years). The prevalence of HEV was 7.3%, with no significant differences between sexes. The prevalence of HEV antibodies in the population of the Camiri area (10.4%) was significantly higher than in the Villa Montes area (4.4%), possibly due to the better quality of drinking water in the Villa Montes area. In the population </= 30 years of age, the HEV seropositivity rate (4.4%) was significantly lower than in the >/= 31 year-old group. This is consistent with findings in other countries. This is the first report of the prevalence of HEV infection in Bolivia.
authors.affiliation: Clinica di Malattie Infettive, Università di Firenze, Italia.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bartoloni
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bartalesi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Roselli
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mantella
authors.forename: C C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Arce
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Paradisi
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Hall
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D001838:Bolivia / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000097:blood*; D016752:Hepatitis E virus / Q000276:immunology*; D006507:Hepatovirus / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012423:Rural Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017678:Sex Distribution
chemical_list: D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies