Prevalence of hantavirus antibody in patients with chronic renal disease in Egypt.
In Egypt, the etiology of chronic renal failure (CRF) is not well defined. A hospital-based case-control study was initiated in February 1998, to determine whether hantavirus infection is involved in chronic renal disease (CRD) in Egypt. The study enrolled 350 study patients with a history of CRF and 695 matched controls with CRD due to renal calculus or renal cancer, but with normal renal functions. Sera from cases and controls were tested for anti-hantavirus IgG using ELISA with a cell-lysate antigen from Hantaan virus prototype strain 76-118. A demographic questionnaire was completed for each study participant. Five of the 350 cases (1.4%), and seven of the 695 controls (1.0%) were antibody-positive to hantavirus, with a titer > or =1:400. The difference in antibody prevalence between the study cases and the control cases was not statistically significant (P = 0.48). All antibody-positive study cases and controls had been exposed to rodents. Data indicated that in Egypt, hantavirus seroprevalence in CRD patients is low, and hantavirus infections do not appear to be a significant cause of CRF.
Botros
B A
BA
U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit No. 3, Code 303, BAB, PSC 452, Box 5000, FPO AE 09835-0007, Cairo, Egypt. BotrosA@namru3.org
Sobh
M
M
Wierzba
T
T
Arthur
R R
RR
Mohareb
E W
EW
Frenck
R
R
El Refaie
A
A
Mahmoud
I
I
Chapman
G D
GD
Graham
R R
RR
D000328:Adult; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004534:Egypt / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006476:Orthohantavirus / Q000276:immunology*; D018778:Hantavirus Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000821:virology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D007074:Immunoglobulin G