Hepatitis B virus infection in isolated Afro-Brazilian communities

Abstract

The prevalence and genotypes of hepatitis B virus (HBV) have distinct geographical distribution. In Brazil, some African-descendants have been maintained as small isolated communities since the slavery period. In this study, HBV infection among these communities of African origin was examined. Individuals (1,058) living in 12 communities were interviewed and serum samples screened for the presence of HBV markers. HBsAg-positive sera were tested for HBV DNA by PCR and positive samples were genotyped by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). The overall prevalence of HBV infection was 19.8% (95% CI: 17.5-22.3), ranging from 5.5% to 42.4%, depending on the communities studied. Multivariate analysis of risk factors showed that increasing age, family history of hepatitis, and sexual activity were associated significantly with this infection. HBsAg was detected in 23/1,058 (2.2%) individuals. HBV DNA was present in 2/2 of HBeAg-positive serum samples and in 18/21 (85.7%) anti-HBe-positive samples. All HBV isolates belonged to genotype A, subtype Aa. Three RFLP patterns were identified: AI (17 isolates), AIV (1 isolate), and AVI (2 isolates). These findings suggest a common introduction of HBV during the slave trade from Africa to Brazil.

Compliance with and response to hepatitis B vaccination in remaining quilombo communities in Central Brazil

“…In a previous investigation, we found a high prevalence of HBV infection markers in some quilombo communities in Central Brazil (reaching 42.4% and 7.4% for antiHBc and HBsAg, respectively, in the Furnas dos Dionísios community) and a low rate of hepatitis B vaccination (9.1%). In addition, family history of hepatitis and sexual activity besides increased age were statistically associated with HBV infection in that population 3 .…”

Epidemiology of hepatitis B virus infection among recyclable waste collectors in central Brazil

“…Those individuals who had been incarcerated also had limited educational opportunities and pervasive social health problems. These factors have been reported to be predictors of HBV infection and seem to be common in socially vulnerable populations 17,[27][28][29] .…”

“…DNA was extracted from HBsAg-and antiHBc-positive samples as previously reported 16 . The pre-S/S genome region was amplifi ed using a semi-nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) 17 , and the resulting amplicons were genotyped by nucleotide sequence analysis of the S region 18 .…”

Hepatitis B virus genotype E detected in Brazil in an African patient who is a frequent traveler

“…It was suggested that subgroup Aa may have evolved in indigenous populations of African countries. Later, this genotype was also found in South America (8,9), suggesting that this high proportion of subgroup Aa may be due to the intense slave trade from Africa to South America during the colonial period. In another study in a city with a large percent of African descendants (Salvador, BA, Brazil), genotype A was also the most prevalent in the local population, followed by genotypes D and F, but no case of genotype E was identified (10).…”