[Seroepidemiologic study of hepatitis A virus among children of Maracaibo, Venezuela]

Invest Clin. 1989;30(4):215-28.
[Article in Spanish]

Abstract

With the purpose of determining the incidence of Hepatitis A virus infection, we determined the presence of antibodies against this virus (anti-VHA) with the ELISA technique in 209 children from Maracaibo city of different socioeconomic levels, ages ranging from 6 months to 12 years. At the same time, we investigated the incidence of a recent infection through IgM antibodies for Hepatitis A (anti-VHA IgM) using the same ELISA technique. We found a global positive incidence of 46.4% for all ages. Individual ages studied showed 31% seropositivity in children less than one year old and a higher seropositivity in children between 9 and 11 years old (50-76.4%). There were noticeable differences in seropositivity in relation to social economic condition observing a higher percentage in children of low social economic level. A recent infection was demonstrated after the second year of life (60%) and a variable percentage through all pediatric ages studied. There was no recent infection detected in children under one year of age which suggests that antibodies anti-VHA obtained transplacentally can last at least for the first year of life as it does with other virus.

Publication types

  • English Abstract

MeSH terms

  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Female
  • Hepatitis A / blood
  • Hepatitis A / epidemiology*
  • Hepatitis Antibodies / blood*
  • Hepatovirus / immunology*
  • Humans
  • Incidence
  • Infant
  • Male
  • Seroepidemiologic Studies
  • Socioeconomic Factors
  • Venezuela / epidemiology

Substances

  • Hepatitis Antibodies