Seroprevalence of Hepatitis B and C markers at the population level in the municipality of Caxias do Sul, southern Brazil

Abstract

Chronic viral hepatitis are main public health problems worldwide. Data about the seroprevalence to Hepatitis B and C viruses (HBV e HCV) at the population level are scarce on Brazil and especially for the Southern region of the country. The seroprevalence to HBV and HBC antigens was evaluated on a large portion of the population of the municipality of Caxias do Sul (427,858 inhabitants), Brazil. A total of 60,604 individual serum samples collected from 2008 to 2011 were screened for HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) and for antibodies against HBsAg; anti HCV antibodies were measured by ELISA (Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay). Overall, 1.63% of the individuals were positive for HBsAg and 1.43% showed seropositivity to HCV. From the total, 31,749 samples were analyzed for HBsAg and 28,855 for HCV. For HBsAg, 519 samples showed positive (1.63%) while the results for 37 patients (0.12%) remained inconclusive. For the anti-HCV test, 412 individuals (1.43%) showed positive. From the positive samples for HBsAg 216 (50.6%) were from male individuals whereas for anti-HCV the seroprevalence was slightly higher for females 216 (52.4%). The higher prevalence for both hepatitis viruses were found among individuals at the age group of 40 to 59 years and the lower levels of positivity for both HBV and HBC were among children and teenagers.

Risk factors for hepatitis B transmission in South Brazil

“…In South Brazil, recent data indicate that a prevalence rate higher than the average occurs in some cities and regions ( Bertolini et al 2012 , Gusatti et al 2015 ). Caxias do Sul is one of these cities, with 1.6% population positive towards HBsAg ( Menegol & Spilki 2014 ). The whole city is located in the mountains of RS, a region colonised by European immigrants, mainly Italians.…”

“…HBV frequency also increases with age in this geographic region — 1.6% anti-HBc positive people were aged between 10 and 19 years versus 11.3% anti-HBc positive people were aged between 20 and 69 years ( Ximenes et al 2015 ). In the city of Caxias do Sul [state of Rio Grande do Sul (RS)], an even higher HBsAg seroprevalence (1.6%) was observed in a large sample population ( Menegol & Spilki 2014 ).…”

Hepatitis B Virus Genotype D Isolates Circulating in Chapecó, Southern Brazil, Originate from Italy

“…The existence of ‘islands’ of enhanced HBsAg prevalence (1.5–3% vs. 0.5% countrywide), such as Chapecó [ 4 ]. and Caxias do Sul [ 5 ], in a region recently colonized by European immigrants, as well as the fact that genotype D is one of the most prevalent in Europe [ 36 – 39 ], may suggest that HBV/D was imported into South America through that immigration. At this respect, Bertolini and collaborators [ 40 ] have mentioned an elevated HBV prevalence among Brazilian women of Italian and German descent, and suggested that the high prevalence of HBV/D in the south of Brazil was due to the intense migration of settlers from European countries [ 16 ].…”

“…The estimated HBsAg prevalence among people aged 20 to 69 years varies from 0.40% to 0.92% in the capitals of the 26 states [ 2 ]. However, some areas show prevalence rates markedly higher than the average, not only in the Amazon region, but also in some southern counties, as Chapecó [ 3 , 4 ] and Caixas do Sul [ 5 ].…”

Lack of association between human leukocyte antigen polymorphisms rs9277535 and rs7453920 and chronic hepatitis B in a Brazilian population

“…Anyway, the findings seem to demonstrate clearly the lack of association of these SNPs with chronic hepatitis B. This is very important to the understanding of this issue in a population from South Brazil with higher rates than the average (Menegol and Spilki, 2014). Further research with larger samples can generate more detailed knowledge of the frequencies of the SNPs evaluated in this study, as well as the contribution of these for chronic hepatitis B.…”