[Outbreak of hepatitis A virus infection among men who have sex with men].
We have recently encountered an outbreak of hepatitis A in Tokyo. Between July 1998 and November 1999, 21 patients were treated at our hospital. They were all male and 18 patients (86%) had had sex with men (MSM). About a half of the patients were seropositive for syphilis, hepatitis B and HIV. The VP1/2A region could be amplified by nested PCR in 6 of the 21 patients. They had the same sequences and were grouped into genotype IA. Homosexual activity should be kept in mind as a leading risk factor for hepatitis A in the recent Japanese population.
Takechi
A
A
Department of Internal Medicine, Tokyo Metropolitan Ohkubo Hospital.
Hatakeyama
S
S
Kashiyama
T
T
Koibuchi
T
T
D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D005260:Female; D006506:Hepatitis A / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission; D006716:Homosexuality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014041:Tokyo / Q000453:epidemiology