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Hepatitis D infection in Brazil: Prevalence and geographical distribution of anti‐Delta antibody
Author(s) -
Lago Barbara V.,
Mello Francisco C. A.,
Barros Tairine M.,
Mello Vinicius M.,
Villar Livia M.,
LewisXimenez Lia L.,
Pardini Maria Inês M. C.,
Lampe Elisabeth
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
journal of medical virology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 121
eISSN - 1096-9071
pISSN - 0146-6615
DOI - 10.1002/jmv.25196
Subject(s) - hepatitis d , amazon rainforest , epidemiology , hbsag , virology , seroprevalence , antibody , delta , amazon basin , geography , distribution (mathematics) , hepatitis d virus , demography , medicine , hepatitis b virus , virus , immunology , serology , biology , ecology , mathematical analysis , mathematics , sociology , engineering , aerospace engineering
In Brazil, the Amazon Basin is endemic for hepatitis D virus (HDV) infection; however, studies in other regions of the country are scarce. This study aims to map the seroepidemiological situation of anti‐Delta antibodies in chronic hepatitis B carriers in all five Brazilian geographic regions. Serum samples from 1240 HBsAg positive individuals (55.4% men; mean age 43.1 ± 13.4 years) from 24 of 26 Brazilian states were tested for the presence of anti‐Delta antibodies using a commercial immunoassay. Anti‐Delta antibodies were detected in 40 samples (3.2%; 52.5% female; mean age of 38.1 ± 13.8 years). Age less than 20 years was significantly associated with anti‐HDV positivity ( P < 0.001). The distribution of anti‐Delta differed markedly in the diverse regions of the country. The highest prevalence of anti‐HDV was found in the North (8.5%; P < 0.001), followed by Central West (2.5%), Southeast (1.7%), Northeast (0.8%), and South (0.0%). Anti‐Delta antibodies were detected in 12 states, but more than 60% of the positive cases were observed in two states, Amazonas and Acre, located in the western portion of the Amazon region. The overall HDV prevalence of 3.2% emphasizes that HDV is far from being a disease under control in Brazil. Despite the low HDV prevalence in non‐endemic regions, this infection persists as a major concern in two states (Acre and Amazonas) in the north of the country, indicating that a continuous epidemiological surveillance program should be implemented in all Brazilian regions.