title: [Prevalence of antibodies to hantavirus among hemodialysis patients with end-stage renal failure in Kaunas and its district].
abstract: The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence of antibodies to hantaviruses among hemodialysis patients with end-stage renal failure in Kaunas and its district.
  
  
  METHODS
  Serums of 218 patients from four dialysis centers of Kaunas district were tested by using the immunoglobulin G antibody-capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The reactivity of ELISA-positive sera was proven in Western blot tests using various hantavirus recombinant nucleocapsid proteins. The yeast-expressed nucleocapsid proteins were used for testing.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Antibodies against Dobrava/Hantaan and Puumala hantaviruses were found in 16 patients (seroprevalence 7.4%). Most of the sera were positive for Dobrava hantavirus (81%). The ratio of males to females was 1.2:1. Seroprevalence was significantly higher in older patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results indicate that antibodies to two hantaviruses (Dobrava/Hantaan virus and Puumala virus) are prevalent among hemodialysis patients in Kaunas district with approximately the same seroprevalence as in neighboring countries.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, Kaunas University of Medicine, Kaunas, Lithuania. arvydas.dargevicius@gmail.com
authors.forename: Arvydas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dargevicius
authors.forename: Rasa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Petraityte
authors.forename: Birute
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sribikiene
authors.forename: Elvyra
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sileikiene
authors.forename: Loreta
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Razukeviciene
authors.forename: Edita
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ziginskiene
authors.forename: Rita
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Vorobjoviene
authors.forename: Ausra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Razanskiene
authors.forename: Kestutis
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sasnauskas
authors.forename: Inga Arūne
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Bumblyte
authors.forename: Vytautas
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kuzminskis
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D018063:Hantaan virus / Q000276:immunology; D006476:Orthohantavirus / Q000276:immunology*; D018778:Hantavirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006480:Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000628:therapy*; D008097:Lithuania / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D029262:Puumala virus / Q000276:immunology; D006435:Renal Dialysis; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral