Hepatitis A virus infection in hepatitis C Brazilian patients.
OBJECTIVE
HAV infection in patients with pre-existing chronic liver disease has been associated with increased rate of fulminant hepatitis and mortality. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of serological and molecular HAV markers in a population of HCV infected patients.


METHODS
The presence of total and IgM anti-HAV antibodies was investigated in 197 patients (mean age 44.8+/-12.5 years) referred to the Brazilian Reference Center for Viral Hepatitis and who tested positive for anti-HCV antibodies and HCV RNA. HAV RNA was investigated by reverse transcription-nested PCR in these patients.Results. One hundred seventy patients (86%) had total, but not IgM anti-HAV antibodies, being therefore, immune to hepatitis A, while 27 (14%) were not. A high proportion (6/27, 22%) of the susceptible patients presented markers of recent HAV infection: One patient was IgM anti-HAV positive, three were HAV RNA positive, and two presented both markers. By nucleotide sequencing, it was demonstrated that the HAV isolates infecting these patients belonged to subgenotypes 1A and 1B.


CONCLUSIONS
Superinfection with HAV was a common event in the group of HCV infected patients under study. Implementation of hepatitis A vaccination should be considered for this population.
Devalle
S
S
Department of Virology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Avenida Brasil 4365, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21045-900, Brazil.
de Paula
V S
VS
de Oliveira
J M
JM
Niel
C
C
Gaspar
A M C
AM
D000328:Adult; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006506:Hepatitis A / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics; D035922:Hepatitis A Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
D035922:Hepatitis A Antibodies; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D012367:RNA, Viral