The person-to-person transmission of the hepatitis A virus primarily occurs in enclosed spaces, particularly in the presence of inadequate hygiene conditions and a high proportion of susceptible individuals. Thus, intimate family contact stands out as a risk factor for HAV infection dissemination. The present study aimed to evaluate the occurrence of household HAV transmission. Blood samples were collected from patients with hepatitis A (index cases) and their family members (contacts) that were referred to an ambulatory care clinic specializing in viral hepatitis. A total of 97 samples were collected from 30 families with a confirmed hepatitis A case (index case). Serological and molecular techniques for the diagnosis of hepatitis A were conducted on all samples. HAV infection (anti-HAV IgM + and/or HAV RNA +) was detected in 34.3% (23/67) of the contacts; 34.3% (23/67) of the contacts were immune to HAV, and 31.4% (21/67) were susceptible. In the household contacts, HAV immunity was significantly associated with older age; susceptibility to infection and HAV infection were associated with younger age. Household outbreaks were detected in 16/30 families studied. Co-circulation of subgenotypes IA and IB was found in the household outbreaks, and person-to-person transmission was evidenced in six of the household outbreaks, with 100% homology between the index case and contact strains. The results demonstrated the relevance of HAV household transmission, reaffirming the need for hepatitis A vaccine administration in susceptible contacts and effective infection control procedures to prevent the extension of household outbreaks.

The use of quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) for herpesvirus detection has improved the sensitivity and specificity of diagnosis, as it is able to detect shedding episodes in the absence of clinical lesions and diagnose clinical specimens that have low viral loads. With an aim to improve the detection and quantification of herpesvirus by qPCR, synthetic standard curves for human herpesvirus 1 and 2 (HHV-1 and HHV-2) targeting regions gD and gG, respectively, were designed and evaluated. The results show that synthetic curves can replace DNA standard curves in diagnostic herpes qPCR.

Hepatitis E virus genotype 3 (HEV GT3) has been associated with silent chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis in HIV-positive subjects worldwide, but there is a lack of data on this co-infection in Brazil.

Pregnant women who are infected with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) are particularly vulnerable to severe and recurrent infections with Human Herpesvirus 2 (HHV-2). Neonatal transmission of HHV-2 has been associated with malformations and neurological sequelae in infants, which makes it very important to perform antenatal monitoring for genital herpes. In the study, 134 pregnant women infected with HIV were tested for HHV-2 IgM and IgG using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and had HHV-2 DNA analyzed by Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR). Fisher's exact test was applied to analyze the epidemiological dates (p < 0.05). A total of 59.7% of the pregnant women infected with HIV had HHV-2 IgG and 3.75% of them showed HHV-2 viremia. HHV-2 IgM was found in 6% of the pregnant women and 25% of them had HHV-2 viremia. The risk factors associated with HHV-2 seropositive were age under 20 and a CD4/CD8 ratio > 1. Our study found high HHV-2/HIV coinfection prevalence and HHV-2 viremia among patients with recurrent and primary genital infection, reinforcing the need of prevention and control of HHV-2 infection in order to avoid this virus transmission.

Introduction: Pregnant women stand as an relevant group for research about Human Herpesvirus (HHV-2) infection owing to the risk of mother-to-child transmission. Methods: Women attending in a prenatal care center were tested for HHV-2 IgM and IgG by ELISA. Quantitative PCR test was the chosen method to ascertain viremia. Results: The seroprevalence of IgG and IgM anti-HHV-2 was 20.6% and 2.2% respectively. HHV-2 viremia was found in one pregnant woman with HHV-2 IgM, leading to the assumption of primary infection. Conclusion: The significantly high prevalence of HHV-2 found and the ascertainment of primary infection in a pregnant woman underline the need for constant HHV-2 follow--up and diagnosis in order to avoid sexual transmission.

Aim: We evaluated the accuracy of a commercial rapid immunochromatographic test (rapid test [RT]) for hepatitis A (HA) diagnosis and epidemiological studies. Materials & methods: The accuracy of a RT was evaluated in laboratory and in field conditions. Predictive modeling estimated the test performance in a hypothetical population. Results: The RT showed sensitivities of 66–86%, and specificities of 21–100%, depending on the antibody isotype (IgM or IgG) analyzed and prevalence of infection. Conclusion: The RT is a good alternative for diagnostic in HA outbreaks. The predictive model indicates that it should not be used alone for HA diagnosis in low prevalence populations. These data can be used in the future to strengthen decision-making during the implementation of rapid diagnostic methods in health services.

An increasing amount of research has been conducted on immunoglobulin Y (IgY) because the use of IgY offers several advantages with respect to diagnostic testing, including its easy accessibility, low cost and translatability to large-scale production, in addition to the fact that it can be ethically produced. In a previous work, immunoglobulin was produced and purified from egg yolks (IgY) reactive to hepatitis A virus (HAV) antigens. In the present work, this anti-HAV-specific IgY was used in an indirect immunofluorescence assay to detect viral antigens in liver biopsies that were obtained from experimentally infected cynomolgus monkeys. Fields that were positive for HAV antigen were detected in liver sections using confocal microscopy. In conclusion, egg yolks from immunised hens may be a reliable source for antibody production, which can be employed for immunological studies.

ObjectiveFemale sex workers (FSWs) are vulnerable to human alphaherpesvirus 2 (HSV-2) infection due to their high numbers of sexual partners. The objective of this study was to evaluate the seroprevalence and risk behaviours associated with HSV-2.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. A total of 376 FSWs were recruited by respondent-driven sampling (RDS) methodology and answered an epidemiological questionnaire. Blood samples were collected to test for HSV-2 antibodies using commercial ELISA and for HSV-2 DNA using real-time PCR.ResultsThe seropositivity was 47.3% (178/376) for HSV-2 IgG and 10.1% (38/376) for HSV-2 IgM. HSV-2 viraemia was detected in two infected FSWs with primary infections. In bivariate and multivariate analyses, the OR for HSV-2 IgG increased with age (OR=2.53–7.90, OR=2.66–6.37) and the number of sexual partners (OR=2.30–3.25). On the other hand, daily alcohol consumption (OR=0.10) and the use of condoms during the last intercourse (OR=0.47) were protective factors against HSV-2 acquisition.ConclusionDespite the impact of FSWs in public health policies with the dissemination of sexually transmitted infections, there have been few studies performed regarding the prevalence of HSV-2 in Brazil, making it difficult to implement any control or preventative measures. The results produced here using an RDS methodology demonstrated a high prevalence, risk behaviours and primary infection among the FSWs. These results reinforce the need to implement control and preventative measures for HSV-2 infection in this population.