Home About us Contact
|
Home About us Contact | ||
|
|
||
Hepatitis A Virus Infection (hepatitis a + virus_infection)
Selected AbstractsHelicobacter pylori and Hepatitis a Virus Infection in School-Aged Children on Two Isolated Neighborhood Islands in TaiwanHELICOBACTER, Issue 3 2003Liang-Kung Chen ABSTRACT Background. The transmission routes of Helicobacter pylori and hepatitis A virus (HAV) infections have been extensively discussed in previous literature. However, whether H. pylori and HAV shared the same transmission pattern or not remains unclear. Lower socioeconomic status was recognized as a consistent risk factor to both infections. However, whether fecal-oral transmission was a risk factor to both infections is still under debate. Materials and Methods. In 1996, we conducted a cross-sectional study to evaluate the seroprevalence of antibody to H. pylori and HAV among the randomly selected school-aged children (age between 13 and 15) on Green Island (n = 91) and Lanyu Island (n = 138) (two isolated neighborhood islands near Taiwan Main Island). Results. The seroprevalence of H. pylori and HAV on the Green Island were 82.4% and 5.5%, respectively. The seroprevalence of H. pylori and HAV on Lanyu Island were 71.0% and 90.6%, respectively. H. pylori seroprevalence of all children and the subgroup of 13-year-olds was significantly lower on Lanyu Island than Green Island. However, it was not significantly different in subgroups of 14- and 15-year-olds. HAV seroprevalence was significantly higher on Lanyu Island than Green Island among all children and in each age subgroup. The correlation of H. pylori infection and HAV infection did not demonstrate significant linear correlation on both islands. Conclusions. In conclusion, H. pylori and HAV infections in school-aged children of 13,15 years of age on Green Island and Lanyu Island did not demonstrate significant correlation. The results of this study imply that H. pylori and HAV may share different transmission routes of infection. [source] Experimental hepatitis A virus infection in guinea pigsJOURNAL OF MEDICAL VIROLOGY, Issue 4 2001Britt Hornei Abstract Although many of the properties of hepatitis A virus (HAV) are known, several aspects of HAV pathogenesis are still not understood, such as the mechanism underlying the hepatotropism or HAV replication in extrahepatic sites. Detailed studies of these aspects were hampered mostly by the lack of accessible animal models, since only nonhuman primates are susceptible to experimental infections. An alternative animal model would also be of interest to assess the primary replication site and for the evaluation of the safety and efficacy of vaccines. A study was undertaken to determine whether HAV can infect guinea pigs and whether they are useful as a model for studying aspects of HAV pathogenesis and for the evaluation of vaccines. HAV variants adapted to primate or guinea pig tissue culture were used to inoculate guinea pigs intraperitoneally and by the oral route. The animals were observed for clinical disease, shedding of HAV in stools, viremia, seroconversion, evidence for liver damage by biochemical liver function tests, virus presence in the liver, development of hepatic histopathological changes, and occurrence of HAV in extrahepatic organs. The animals developed an active, clinically inapparent infection with specific histopathological changes in the liver. Although virus replication occurred, as shown by RT-PCR and isolation of infectious virus from feces and serum, it seems unlikely that guinea pigs are suitable for studying the clinical features of hepatitis A, because the clinical and laboratory parameters remained normal. However, guinea pigs appear useful for studying some aspects of HAV pathogenesis and for testing the safety of vaccines. J. Med. Virol. 64:402,409, 2001. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Clinical features of acute renal failure associated with hepatitis A virus infectionJOURNAL OF VIRAL HEPATITIS, Issue 9 2010Y. J. Jung Summary., Acute hepatitis A (AHA) is one of the most common infectious diseases; it is usually a self-limiting disease affecting the liver. Although extrahepatic manifestations are not common, some cases have been reported associated with acute renal failure. We reviewed the clinical features of patients with AHA complicated by acute renal failure (ARF group) and compared them with patients with noncomplicated AHA (non-ARF group). The medical records of 208 consecutive patients with AHA who were diagnosed between January 2003 and October 2008 were reviewed. We identified 15 patients (7.2%) with ARF associated with AHA. There were no differences between the ARF and non-ARF group with regard to gender and age. The peak value of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (median: 6060 IU/L vs 1792 IU/L, P < 0.001), prothrombin time (PT) (International normalized ratio, median 1.72 vs 1.10, P < 0.001), and total bilirubin level (median: 9.6 mg/dL vs 6.3 mg/dL, P = 0.04) were significantly higher in the ARF than in the non-ARF group. Twelve patients (80%) recovered completely with haemodialysis (seven patients, 46.7%) or only conservative management (five patients, 33.3%), while one patient underwent liver transplantation because of fulminant hepatic failure, and two patients died because of fulminant hepatic failure. There were no deaths among patients with noncomplicated AHA in the non-ARF group. Five patients underwent kidney biopsy; two patients were diagnosed with acute tubular necrosis, two patients with acute interstitial nephritis with IgA nephropathy and one patient with acute tubulointerstitial nephritis. All patients in the ARF group had microscopic haematuria and proteinuria (100%vs 31.1%, P < 0.001). Urine sodium levels were more than 10 mEq/L in 10 patients. The findings of high urinary sodium concentrations, microscopic haematuria and proteinuria did not support the diagnosis of hepatorenal syndrome (HRS). Patients with AHA with ARF had higher ALT levels, more prolonged PTs, and higher total bilirubin levels. The prognosis for these patients was poorer than for those without ARF. However, the patients with ARF and nonfulminant AHA had recovered with proper treatment and should not be confused with patients that have HRS. [source] The need for an evidence-based decision-making process with regard to control of hepatitis AJOURNAL OF VIRAL HEPATITIS, Issue 2008A. Gentile Summary., Universal hepatitis A (HA) vaccination was implemented by the Argentinean Ministry of Health in June 2005 with a single dose at age 12 months. The decision was made taking into account the following factors. (1) Disease burden: The incidence rate for the disease increased from 2003 to 2004; the northern and western regions of the country were the most affected. Sero-prevalence data for children 1,15 years old was 54% for the whole country, with differences per region and age. From May 1982 to September 2002, 210 patients were recruited with acute hepatic failure; HA was the aetiology in 61% of them. (2) Cost-effectiveness: Compared with no vaccination, the one-dose schedule would save US$15.3 millions, with regional variations. (3) Vaccine features: Immunization with one-dose schedule HA vaccine confers good immunogenicity and effectiveness. (4) Programmatic feasibility: The National Immunizations Program has appropriate distribution system for vaccines, with adequate cold chain. (5) Social acceptance and political compromise: The population largely accepts HA vaccination and the national authorities should be committed to providing it regularly. The main global issue is that hepatitis A virus infection remains the most commonly reported vaccine-preventable disease in many parts of the world despite the availability of vaccines. [source] | ||||||||||