Serological, epidemiological and molecular aspects of hepatitis C virus infection in a population from Londrina, PR, Brazil, 2001-2002.
Serological, epidemiological and molecular aspects of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection were evaluated in 183 subjects from Londrina, Paraná, Brazil, and adjacent areas. Serum samples which tested anti-HCV positive by microparticle enzyme immunoassay (MEIA) obtained from eight patients with chronic hepatitis C, 48 blood donors, and 127 patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) were submitted to another enzyme immunoassay (ELISA) and to the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). About 78.7% of samples were also reactive by ELISA, with the greater proportion (70.8%) of discordant results verified among blood donors. A similar finding was observed for HCV-RNA detection by PCR, with 111/165 (67.3%) positive samples, with higher rates among HIV-positive subjects and patients with chronic hepatitis than among blood donors. Sixty-one PCR-positive samples were submitted to HCV genotyping, with 77.1, 21.3 and 1.6% of the samples identified as types 1, 3 and 2, respectively. Finally, analysis of some risk factors associated with HCV infection showed that intravenous drug use was the most common risk factor among HIV/HCV co-infected patients, while blood transfusion was the most important risk factor in the group without HIV infection. The present study contributed to the knowledge regarding risk factors associated with HCV infection and the distribution of HCV genotypes in the population evaluated.
Vogler
Ingridt Hildegard
IH
Laboratório de Análises Clínicas, Hospital Universitário, Universidade Estadual de Londrina, PR, Brazil. vogler@uel.br
Nishiya
Anna
A
Morimoto
Helena Kaminami
HK
Reiche
Edna Maria Vissoci
EM
Bortoliero
André Luiz
AL
Matsuo
Tiemi
T
Sabino
Ester Cerdeira
EC
Vaz
Adelaide Jose
AJ
D001782:Blood Donors; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D005838:Genotype; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies
D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies