Nucleotide correlation between HAV isolates from human patients and environmental samples.
Hepatitis A disease is endemic in Albania even though records from the Medical Authority show outbreaks involving only limited numbers of people. In the city of Lac, 200 people became ill following an outbreak of hepatitis A started on November 2002. The age distribution of the cases shows a peak in the age group 5-9 (43.5%) followed by the age group 10-14 (28%) and the age group 1-4 (18%). No cases were recorded in the age group 0-1. Drinking water and sewage samples were collected, using electropositive cartridges, during the outbreak. Rotavirus was identified by RT-PCR in two out of five drinking water samples; however, all the samples tested negative for HAV and astrovirus. Rotavirus was also identified in three out of five sewage samples from which four were HAV positive. HAV-RNA was identified in 28 (62.2%) out of 45 IgM anti-HAV positive sera collected during the outbreak. Genotype IA was expressed from all the amplified samples. Sequence analysis of the overlapping VP1-2A region shows 97-99% homology with three Italian strains IT-SCH-00, IT-ZAM-01, and IT-CAP-00 and one Spanish strain (Sa 30/06/95), whereas the phylogenetic tree built from the 168 bp sequence of the VP1-2A shows four clusters, one including 24 out of 28 RT-PCR positive sera. Considering the deduced amino acid sequence, only one substitution was identified and reported previously for genotype IB.
Divizia
Maurizio
M
University of Tor Vergata, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Public Health, Hygiene Chair, Via Montpellier, 1, 00133-Rome, Italy. divizia@uniroma2.it
Gabrieli
Rosanna
R
Macaluso
Alessia
A
Bagnato
Barbara
B
Palombi
Leonardo
L
Buonomo
Ersilia
E
Cenko
Fabian
F
Leno
Luljeta
L
Bino
Silva
S
Basha
Anila
A
Panà
Augusto
A
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000415:Albania / Q000453:epidemiology; D019943:Amino Acid Substitution / Q000235:genetics; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases / Q000235:genetics; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000737:chemistry; D004783:Environmental Microbiology; D005618:Fresh Water / Q000821:virology; D030041:Hepatitis A virus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000097:blood; D007223:Infant; D001257:Mamastrovirus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D008875:Middle Aged; D010802:Phylogeny; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012401:Rotavirus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D012722:Sewage / Q000821:virology; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D015678:Viral Structural Proteins / Q000235:genetics
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D012367:RNA, Viral; D012722:Sewage; C096539:VP1 protein, hepatitis A virus; D014764:Viral Proteins; D015678:Viral Structural Proteins; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases; C057400:picornain 2A, Picornavirus