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Related Experiment Videos

Nucleotide correlation between HAV isolates from human patients and environmental samples.

Maurizio Divizia1, Rosanna Gabrieli, Alessia Macaluso

  • 1University of Tor Vergata, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Public Health, Hygiene Chair, Via Montpellier, 1, 00133-Rome, Italy. divizia@uniroma2.it

Journal of Medical Virology
|November 16, 2004
PubMed
Summary

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Hepatitis A virus (HAV) was detected in sewage and patient sera during a 2002 outbreak in Albania. Rotavirus was also found in water, suggesting potential co-infections or environmental contamination.

Area of Science:

  • Virology
  • Public Health
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Hepatitis A is endemic in Albania, with outbreaks typically affecting limited populations.
  • A significant outbreak occurred in Lac, Albania, in November 2002, affecting 200 individuals.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the causative agent and transmission routes of the Hepatitis A outbreak in Lac, Albania.
  • To characterize the Hepatitis A virus (HAV) strains involved in the outbreak.

Main Methods:

  • Collection and testing of drinking water and sewage samples using electropositive cartridges.
  • Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for viral detection (HAV, rotavirus, astrovirus).
  • Detection of HAV-RNA in patient sera and sequence analysis for genotyping and phylogenetic comparison.

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Main Results:

  • Rotavirus was detected in drinking water and sewage samples.
  • Hepatitis A virus RNA (HAV-RNA) was identified in 62.2% of patient sera and in sewage samples.
  • The identified HAV strains belonged to Genotype IA and showed high homology to Italian and Spanish strains.

Conclusions:

  • The study confirmed Hepatitis A virus as the cause of the outbreak in Lac, Albania.
  • Environmental contamination, particularly with HAV in sewage, likely played a role in transmission.
  • The genetic analysis indicated the circulation of a specific HAV Genotype IA, with potential links to strains found in other European countries.