[Hepatitis A foci in children's collectives studied by using clinico-biochemical, virological and serological...

In 4 foci of hepatitis A (HA) at children's institutions in Moscow 218 children and 30 staff members were examined. Simultaneously with clinico-biochemical studies, specific IgM and IgG in the blood and hepatitis A virus (HAV) antigen in feces were determined by radioimmunoassay. Different forms of HA were detected in 29.1% of children in kindergartens, 19.4% of school children and 3.3% of adults, which was due to great differences in the size of the immune stratum among them (IgG to HAV was detected in 8-10% of children aged 3-6 years and in 83% of adults). In 2/3 of children with HA in the foci the disease was not accompanied by jaundice, 1/5 of them having the inapparent form of this infection. In 45% of the patients HAV antigen was detected in feces, irrespective of the form of HA, 5-14 days before the appearance of hyperfermentemia, and in 2/3 of them this antigen was also detected during the first 6 days after that. Simultaneously with an increase in aminotransferase activity, all of the HA patients showed the presence of specific IgM in their blood.