Intrafamilial transmission of hepatitis C in Egypt.
The incidence of hepatitis C (HCV) infection and associated risk factors were prospectively assessed in a cohort of 6,734 Egyptians from 2 rural villages who were negative for antibodies to HCV (anti-HCV). Initial and follow-up sera were tested for anti-HCV by enzyme immunoassay (EIA), and possible incident cases were confirmed by using the microparticle enzyme immunoassay (MEIA) and tested for HCV RNA. All follow-up serum samples converting from negative to positive without detectable HCV-RNA were further tested by recombinant immunoblot assay. Over an average of 1.6 years, asymptomatic anti-HCV seroconversion occurred in 33 people (3.1/1,000 person-years [PY]), including 28 (6.8/1,000 PY) in the Nile Delta village (AES), where prevalence was 24% and 5 (0.8/1,000 PY) in the Upper Egypt village (baseline prevalence of 9%). The strongest predictor of incident HCV was having an anti-HCV-positive family member. Among those that did, incidence was 5.8/1,000 PY, compared (P < .001) with 1.0/1,000 PY; 27 of 33 incident cases had an anti-HCV-positive family member. Parenteral exposures increased the risk of HCV but were not statistically significant; 67% of seroconverters were younger than 20 years of age, and the highest incidence rate (14.1/1,000 PY) was in children younger than 10 who were living in AES households with an anti-HCV-positive parent. In conclusion, young children would especially benefit from measures reducing exposures or preventing infection with HCV.
Mohamed
Mostafa K
MK
National Hepatology & Tropical Medicine Research Institute, Cairo, Egypt.
Abdel-Hamid
Mohamed
M
Mikhail
Nabiel N
NN
Abdel-Aziz
Fatma
F
Medhat
Ahmed
A
Magder
Laurence S
LS
Fix
Alan D
AD
Strickland
G Thomas
GT
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004534:Egypt / Q000453:epidemiology; D005190:Family; D005220:Fathers; D005260:Female; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009035:Mothers; D012424:Rural Population