title: Cross-Sectional Study of Hepatitis A Virus Infection in the Pantanal Population before Vaccine Implementation in Brazil: Usage of Non-Invasive Specimen Collection.
abstract: Population-based prevalence studies are essential tools for screening of hepatitis A and provide important data on susceptible groups. However, surveillance in isolated communities is difficult because of the limited access to these areas and the need for blood sample collection. This study aimed to determine the anti-HAV prevalence using oral fluid samples to provide an alternative tool for epidemiological studies that might be useful for vaccination-related decisions. The study population was composed of 224 volunteers from South Pantanal, aged 3 to 86 years old. This study was performed using oral fluids, previously standardized for anti-HAV antibody detection, which were collected using a ChemBio device. Eluates were tested using modified commercial EIA to detect anti-HAV antibodies. The overall prevalence was 79.1%, corresponding to 178 reactive EIA tests out of 224 samples. The age stratified data revealed a prevalence of 47.8% between 0-10 years, 84% in 11-20 years and 91.9% in subjects older than 21 years. Results indicate that hepatitis A prevalence was higher in adolescents and adults, corroborating the literature reports. Thus, oral fluid samples could replace serum in HAV epidemiological studies in isolated communities as they are efficient at detecting anti-HAV antibodies.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Desenvolvimento Tecnológico em Virologia, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz-FIOCRUZ, Cx Postal 926. Av., Brasil 4365, CEP: 21045-900 Rio de Janeiro/RJ, Brazil. renatats@ioc.fiocruz.br.
authors.forename: Renata Santos
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Tourinho
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Hepatites Virais, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz-FIOCRUZ, Cx Postal 926. Av., Brasil 4365, CEP: 21045-900 Rio de Janeiro/RJ, Brazil. adilsonjoal@ioc.fiocruz.br.
authors.forename: Adilson José
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: de Almeida
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Hepatites Virais, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz-FIOCRUZ, Cx Postal 926. Av., Brasil 4365, CEP: 21045-900 Rio de Janeiro/RJ, Brazil. lvillar@ioc.fiocruz.br.
authors.forename: Livia Melo
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Villar
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Farmácia Bioquímica, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, MS, Cx Postal 549, Brazil. paulamurat@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Paula Guerra
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Murat
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Farmácia Bioquímica, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, MS, Cx Postal 549, Brazil. gina.jm@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Gina Jonasson Mousquer
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Capelin
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Farmácia Bioquímica, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, MS, Cx Postal 549, Brazil. arcm.castro@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Ana Rita Coimbra Motta
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Castro
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Desenvolvimento Tecnológico em Virologia, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz-FIOCRUZ, Cx Postal 926. Av., Brasil 4365, CEP: 21045-900 Rio de Janeiro/RJ, Brazil. vdepaula@ioc.fiocruz.br.
authors.forename: Vanessa Salete
authors.initials: VS
authors.lastname: de Paula
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006506:Hepatitis A / Q000453:epidemiology*; D035922:Hepatitis A Antibodies / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry*; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D014611:Vaccination / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014612:Vaccines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D035922:Hepatitis A Antibodies; D014612:Vaccines
keywords: epidemiology; hepatitis A; oral fluid; vaccine