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Viral hepatitis : a four‐year hospital and general‐practice study in Sydney
Author(s) -
Boughton Clement R.,
Harior Judy,
Watson Vivian,
Cumpston Muriel,
Hawkes Royle A.,
Schroeter Duncan R.,
Ferguson Vickie,
Lehmann Noreen I.
Publication year - 1982
Publication title -
medical journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1326-5377
pISSN - 0025-729X
DOI - 10.5694/j.1326-5377.1982.tb132246.x
Subject(s) - seroconversion , medicine , infectivity , hepatitis a , transmission (telecommunications) , serology , virology , viral hepatitis , hepatitis , immunology , antibody , hepatitis a virus , hepatitis b virus , index case , hepatitis b , virus , outbreak , electrical engineering , engineering
Clinical and serological study of household contacts of index patients suffering from acute viral hepatitis showed the high infectivity of hepatitis A virus (HAV) for susceptible contacts. The anti‐HAV specific IgM developed in sera of 67% of susceptible children and 31% of susceptible adult contacts. Of 81 susceptible contacts whose sera became anti‐ HAV positive, 28.4% developed clinically overt hepatitis. Administration of human immunoglobulin reduced the rate of clinical expression of hepatitis A among susceptible contacts; it also appeared to reduce the actual infection rate. The infection rate among susceptible adult contacts of adult index cases suffering from hepatitis B was 24%. Of 25 susceptible contacts whose sera became HBV‐ marker positive, 24% developed clinical illness. Transmission occurred probably both by parenteral and non‐parenteral means. It is currently not possible to determine susceptibility or seroconversion to hepatitis non‐A non‐B agents.