Seroprevalence of Hepatitis B virus infection among an afro-descendant community in Brazil

Abstract

Furnas dos Dionísios is an Afro-Brazilian black community whose descendants were mainly fugitive slaves that established themselves in the State of Mato Grosso do Sul (MS), 3%). While intrafamilial transmission was most likely responsible for HBV infection among children, other routes such as sexual contact might be considered for individuals with ages over 15 years.Key words: hepatitis B -Afro-descendants -seroprevalence -transmission -Brazil Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is believed to infect more than 350 million individuals throughout the world and its prevalence varies widely in different geographic regions. The relationship between chronic HBV infection and cirrhosis/hepatocarcinoma has been presented by many authors, giving this infection an important cause of morbimortality and of major concern to public health (Kew 1998, Hilleman 2001.Epidemiological studies carried out in different parts of the world show that the characteristics of the population, such as sanitary conditions, lifestyle, hygiene, risk and socioeconomic factors are related to large variations in the frequency and prevalence of HBV infection (Karim et al. 1991).The HBsAg subtypes present typical geographic distribution that probably reflects the local of its origins and the migration of infected individuals. The HBsAg subtypes are important epidemiological markers to investigate the prevalence, transmission, and migration of HBV (Couroucé-Pauty & Soulier 1983, Teles et al. 1999. Africa, considered a region of high endemicity, owns the second greater number of chronically infected individuals with HBV. Of an approximate 470 millions of people that live in that continent, more than 5 million are chronic carriers and about 12.5 will eventually die from hepatic illnesses induced by HBV, presenting a mortality risk of 25% (Kiire 1996).The importance of studying HBV infection in isolated Afro-descendant communities is based on the absence of epidemiological data on Afro-descendant populations in Brazil; the high prevalence of HBsAg in African countries (5 to 20%); and the strong association between intrafamilial transmission of HBV and factors related to frequent and repeated exposure to the virus. Thus, the objectives of the present study were to investigate the prevalence of the HBV serological markers and the association of demographic variables and risk factors in the afro-descendant community of Furnas dos Dionísios, State of Mato Grosso do Sul (MS), Brazil. These findings may allow to obtain seroepidemiological data to aid in effective decisions for controlling and preventing HBV infection. CASUISTICS AND METHODSThis study was conducted in the Afro-descendant community of Furnas dos Dionísios, founded in 1885 and pertaining to the District of Rio Verde and the city of

Significance of hepatitis B virus genotypes A to E in a cohort of patients with chronic hepatitis B in the Seine Saint Denis District of Paris (France)

“…Indeed, the Caribbean population mainly includes Africans who arrived during the slavery period between the 16th and 19th centuries. This supports the recent study by Westland et al [2003], which found that all patients with genotype E were African American, unlike several other studies performed in communities of Afro descent in the ''New World'' which failed to find the HBV/E genotype in these populations [Blitz et al, 1998;Teles et al, 1999;Motta-Castro et al, 2003].…”

Seroprevalence of hepatitis B virus infection and associated factors among prison inmates in state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

“…As observed elsewhere [21][22][23] , older age was associated with this infection. Age may be a proxy for lifetime exposure, indicating that, over time, there is a cumulative risk of HBV infection linked to sexual activity and percutaneous exposures.…”

Factors Associated with Hepatitis B Surface Antigen Seroprevalence amongst Pregnant Women in Kenya

“…However, STD has been implicated and found to be a significant risk factor for HBV infection transmission in many previous studies [3] Ironically, more subjects in the rural Rift Valley region gave a history of having had an STD followed by Central region then Nairobi which by virtue of being a city would have been expected to have the highest prevalence of STD [17].…”