title: Concomitant poliovirus infection during an outbreak of hepatitis A.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The present study was designed to evaluate the possible co-infection, with other enteric viruses, during an outbreak of hepatitis A (HA).
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-two stool samples and sera were collected during an outbreak of hepatitis A. Sera were analysed by the Abbott test for IgG-IgM anti-HAV antibodies. Stool samples were used to identify the presence of enteric viruses. HAV genome was identified by a RT-PCR test, other enteric viruses were identified, after cell passage and seroneutralization test on BGM cells, by RT-PCR and RFLP assay.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The samples were obtained from 27 employees of an industrial plant, nine household contacts and six non-employee controls. The attack rate was 12.5%, whereas the overall prevalence was 63%. In the employee group, 12 out of 27 stool samples were positive for the presence of HAV by reverse transcriptase polymerase chair reaction (RT-PCR). All the other samples (30) were negative. Five samples from employees, three from household contacts and one from non-employees were also found positive for enteroviruses. These viruses were classified by seroneutralization as poliovirus and RFLP assay as Sabin poliovirus type 1. Four samples were positive both for HAV and poliovirus.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study confirms co-infection with different enteric viruses may occur and also emphasizes the wide circulation of HAV and the existence of silent infection with poliovirus.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Tor Vergata University, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Divizia
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gabrieli
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Donia
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ruscio
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Degener
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Panà
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D005243:Feces / Q000821:virology; D006506:Hepatitis A / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D035922:Hepatitis A Antibodies; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D011051:Poliomyelitis / Q000150:complications*; D011054:Poliovirus Vaccine, Inactivated / Q000276:immunology; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D035922:Hepatitis A Antibodies; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies; D011054:Poliovirus Vaccine, Inactivated