International Journal of STD & AIDS > Volume 19, Number 5 > Pp. 321-326

This Article Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Aloise, R Articles by de Paula, V S Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Social Bookmarking                      What's this?

Original research articles

Changes in hepatitis A virus seroepidemiology in HIV-infected Brazilian patients

R Aloise BSc ^*, A J de Almeida MD MSc ^* , F S Sion MD PhD , C A Morais-de-Sá MD PhD , A M C Gaspar MSc PhD ^* and V S de Paula MSc PhD ^* 

^* Department of Virology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro; Medical Clinic B, Gaffrée & Guinle University Hospital, UNIRIO, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Correspondence to: Dr Vanessa de Paula, Viral Technology Laboratory, Pav. Hélio & Peggy Pereira, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, FIOCRUZ, R Leopoldo Buchões, 1480 Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro, RJ Brasil 21041-210 Email: vdepaula{at}ioc.fiocruz.br

Shifting of hepatitis A virus (HAV) epidemiology from a high towards an intermediate endemicity pattern and use of antiretroviral therapy increased the risk of HIV/HAV coinfection in developing countries. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of HAV markers in a cohort of HIV-infected patients from 1988 to 2004. The presence of serum anti-HAV antibodies and HAV-RNA by real-time polymerase chain reaction was investigated in 581 patients. Total anti-HAV antibodies was found in 464/581 (79.8%) patients, however, a changing epidemiologic pattern of hepatitis A among HIV-infected patients from 1988 to 2004 was observed. Among patients susceptible to HAV (n = 117), 5 (4.2%) were coinfected with HAV, all of them had IgM anti-HAV antibodies and were serum HAV-RNA-positive. The high prevalence of anti-HAV antibodies in HIV-infected patients suggests that screening tests for anti-HAV antibodies should be performed before implementation of hepatitis A vaccination, especially in those patients from endemic countries.

Key Words: hepatitis A virus • HIV/AIDS • HIV/HAV co-infection • Brazil

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?