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[Hepatitis A virus infection in children in Argentina: a pilot study]
J Gonzalez1, O Fay, M C Canero-Velasco
1Instituto Nacional de Microbiología Dr. C. Malbrán, Dpto. de Virología, Buenos Aires.
Insights
Hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection is highly endemic in Argentina, with over half of children studied showing antibodies. Higher infection rates were observed in older children and varied significantly by region, underscoring the need for vaccination.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Immunology
- Public Health
Context:
- Hepatitis A virus (HAV) infections present varying severity based on age of infection.
- Fecal-oral transmission routes mean prevalence is linked to sanitation and socioeconomic factors.
- Industrialized nations' travelers are at risk in under-developed countries, while developing nations face rising impacts with improved sanitation.
Purpose:
- To conduct a serologic study on children aged six months to ten years in five Argentinian cities.
- To determine the prevalence of specific Ab-antiHAV IgG antibodies in a pediatric population.
- To analyze the relationship between HAV infection seroprevalence, age, sex, and water quality.
Summary:
- A serologic study of 3699 children across Buenos Aires, San Justo, Trelew, Rosario, and Tucumán was performed.
- Specific Ab-antiHAV IgG antibodies were measured using enzyme immunoassay kits.
- Overall seropositivity was 51.56%, with Tucumán showing the highest (81.4%) and Buenos Aires the lowest (29.4%).
- Seropositivity increased with age, being lowest in children under three years old.
Impact:
- Confirms Argentina as a high endemicity country for Hepatitis A virus infection.
- Highlights regional disparities in HAV infection prevalence within Argentina.
- Suggests a global vaccination program is essential for preventing recurrent HAV epidemics and achieving eradication.
Unlabelled:
The severity and/or the prognostic of infections with the hepatitis A virus (HAV) is related to the age at which the infection occurs. Since transmission of the virus occurs by the fecal-oral route, the prevalence and age-relate incidence of infection is determined by the adequacy of sanitation hygienic measures and the socio economic level of exposed populations. Thus, the disease is having an increasing impact in developing countries with improving sanitary standards whereas inhabitants of industrialized countries are particularly at risk while visiting under-developed countries. We have established a cooperative group for the serologic study of children range between six months to ten years old, without sintomatology of acute hepatitis. The patients live in Buenos Aires, San Justo, Trelew, Rosario and Tucumán cities. We studied 3699 children. The specific Ab-antiHAV IgG were measured by enzyme immunoassay with commercial available kits (Organon and-or Abbott). The variable of study were age, sex and water quality.
Results:
45.19% were of San Justo, 26.15% of Rosario, 13% of Buenos Aires, 8.37% of Trelew and 7.29% of Tucumán. We observed the highest of possibility percentage (%POS) in Tucumán (81.4%), followed by San Justo (57.8%), Rosario (46.5%), Trelew (41.99%) and Buenos Aires (29.4%). In all the cities the lowest %POS was found in children under three years old. Between three and six years old the results were variable and an increase in %POS was observed related to the growth. The global %POS was 51.56%.
Conclusions:
This study confirms Argentina as a high endemic country for HAV infection. A global vaccination program is the only strategy that has the potential to prevent recurrent epidemics of hepatitis A and its erradication.