Markedly high seroprevalence of hepatitis B virus infection in comparison to hepatitis C virus and human T lymphotropic virus type-1 infections in selected Solomon Islands populations.

Abstract

Abstract. To determine the prevalences of hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and human T lymphotropic virus type-1 (HTLV-1) infections in residents of the Solomon Islands, we surveyed 1,610 serum samples from 1,113 outpatients and 497 healthy volunteer blood donors at the Central Hospital in Honiara, the Solomon Islands. The prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) by radioimmunoassay (RIA) (n ϭ 315, 19.6%) was significantly different from that of antibody to HCV (anti-HCV) by a second-generation enzyme immunoassay (EIA) (n ϭ 4, 0.2%) and antibody to HTLV-1 (anti-HTLV-1) by an ELISA with Western blot analysis to verify the positivity (n ϭ 49, 3.0%) (P Ͻ 0.0001, respectively). There were no significant differences in the prevalences of these markers between outpatients and blood donors. Hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) was detected by RIA in 130 (41.3%) of 315 HBsAg-positive samples. The distribution of HBsAg subtypes by EIA was 190 adr (60.3%), 111 ayw (35.2%), and 14 (0.4%) other subtypes. The HBeAg prevalence decreased with age in all groups for each subtype. There were no significant differences in the prevalence of HBeAg among HBsAg subtypes. We conclude that HBV infection is highly endemic in selected Solomon Islands populations, and that the high prevalence of HBeAg may be associated with the spread of HBV infection there.Hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and human T lymphotropic virus type-1 (HTLV-1) are spread by infected blood, sexual intercourse, and transmission from mother to child. 1-7 These viruses can either be latent or become persistent infections, and are the most significant viruses causing malignant diseases, including hepatocellular carcinoma caused by HBV and HCV 8 and adult T cell leukemia/lymphoma associated with HTLV-1. 9 The Solomon Islands are located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean (5-12ЊS, 156-170ЊE) in the tropical zone. There have been no recent investigations of the these three viral infections among residents of the Solomon Islands. We conducted a large-scale serologic study of outpatients and blood donors at the Central Hospital in Honiara to determine the seroprevalences of HBV, HCV, and HTLV-1 in the Solomon Islands.Infection with HBV is an especially serious problem in many countries, and it has been conservatively estimated that there are 350 million chronic HBV carriers throughout the world. The southwestern Pacific area, including the Solomon Islands, is reported to be hyperendemic for HBV infection. 10 Hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) positivity correlates with ongoing viral synthesis and accounts for the high infectivity of HBV. 6 Our laboratory previously reported that HBeAg prevalence in HBsAg-positive subjects differed depending on hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) subtypes. 11,12 There are no reports of the differences in prevalences of HBeAg among HBsAg-positive subjects of the Solomon Islands based on HBsAg subtypes. Thus, the possible relationship between HBeAg prevalence and HBsAg subtypes was examined. SUBJECTS, MATERIALS, A...

Prevalence of antibody to Chlamydia pneumoniae in residents of Japan, the Solomon Islands, and Nepal.

“…22,23 Chlamydia pneumoniae is also an important epidemic pathogen, causing recurrent infection. 24 Because the Solomon Islands are a region that is highly endemic for malaria, 25 respiratory diseases, and viral infections, 26 recurrent C. pneumonae infections might also occur there frequently. High prevalence rates of IgA have been observed in chronic pulmonary diseases, 27,28 such as in the acute exacerbation of bronchial asthma, [29][30][31] suggesting a relationship with persistent respiratory disease.…”

An overview of hepatitis B prevalence, prevention, and management in the Pacific Islands and Territories

“…HBeAg positivity was high in pregnant women, being 52% overall and ranging from 48% in the Kiribati and Tongan cohorts to 70% in the Fijian cohort. 32 Two further studies from the Solomon Islands reported HBeAg prevalence of 41.3% in the general HBsAg-positive community, 38 and 47% among HBsAg pregnant women. 40 No studies provided data on HBV DNA levels.…”

“…31 The published HCV antibody prevalence is 0-2% for PNG, Kiribati, Fiji, and the Solomon Islands, with most subjects HCV RNA negative. 38,39,62 There is minimal data available on HDV infection in PICT. HIV prevalence is difficult to estimated given low testing rates.…”

Molecular epidemiological study of hepatitis B virus infection in two different ethnic populations from the Solomon Islands

“…Differences in the prevalence of HBV infection have been shown among ethnic groups worldwide [Gust, 1996]. The prevalence for HBsAg is estimated to be 20%-30% in the Solomon Islands and the Republic of Kiribati [Gust et al, 1978;Furusyo et al, 1999;Wilson et al, 2000]. Although HBV/C and HBV/D were reported as distributed genotypes in the Solomon Islands, the ethnic distribution of the genotype is unknown [Furusyo et al, 2004].…”