| should one vaccinate patients with chronic liver disease for hepatitis a virus in india? | hepatitis a virus (hav) vaccination is recommended worldwide for patients with chronic liver disease to prevent decompensation due to superinfection with hav. india being endemic for hav, the prevalence of pre-existing antibodies against hav due to subclinical exposure to the virus in childhood among patients with chronic liver disease may be high and, therefore, vaccination may not be needed. however, little data are available on the prevalence of hav antibody among patients with chronic liver ... | 2004 | 15909855 |
| is vaccination against hepatitis a virus required in patients with cirrhosis of the liver? | hepatitis a virus (hav) superinfection can cause decompensation in patients with chronic liver disease. the risk of hav superinfection depends on the endemicity of hav in that particular population. recommendations of vaccination against hav in patients with cirrhosis of the liver in india are lacking. our aim was to assess the seroprevalence of anti-hav antibodies in our population of patients with cirrhosis of the liver. in a retrospective analysis, the serum of 55 patients with cirrhosis of t ... | 2004 | 15912973 |
| hepatitis a viral genotypes and clinical relevance: clinical and molecular characterization of hepatitis a virus isolates from northern india. | viral hepatitis caused by hepatitis a virus (hav) infection is a worldwide disease; in most cases, it causes an acute self-limited illness. the nucleotide sequence analysis of hav has classified the virus in seven different genotypes, which include human (i-iii and vii) and simian (iv-vi) groups. most human strains belong to the genotype i, which has been divided into sub-genotypes ia and ib. the present study has been carried out to determine the prevalence of hav genotypes from northern india ... | 2005 | 15914081 |
| prevalence of hepatitis a virus infection in children with biliary atresia. | this study aimed at identifying the prevalence of hepatitis a virus (hav) infection in children with biliary atresia (ba). blood samples were collected from children with ba whom had undergone portoenterostomy and attended the pediatric liver clinic, king chulalongkorn memorial hospital between may 2002 and may 2003. seventy-seven patients, 45 females and 32 males, ages ranging from 0.2-19 years (mean +/- sd = 5.9 +/- 4.6 years) were enrolled in the study. the hav seropositivity rate of patients ... | 2004 | 15916098 |
| consequence or coincidence? the occurrence, pathogenesis and significance of autoimmune manifestations after viral vaccines. | viruses and virus-induced lymphokines may have an important role in the pathogenesis of autoimmunity (schattner a. clin immunol immunopathol; 1994). the occurrence and significance of autoimmune manifestations after the administration of viral vaccines remain controversial. | 2005 | 15917108 |
| development and evaluation of a broadly reactive taqman assay for rapid detection of hepatitis a virus. | primers and a taqman probe for the 5'-untranslated region (utr) of the hepatitis a virus (hav) genome were designed and evaluated. the assay detected 0.5 infectious units of hav and 40 copies of a synthetic transcript and provides an important screening tool for rapid quantitative hav detection in clinical or environmental samples. | 2005 | 15933042 |
| nationwide canadian study of hepatitis a antibody prevalence among children eight to thirteen years old. | hepatitis a vaccines provide consistent, long-lasting protection and have been available for almost 10 years in canada, but their use remains limited. it is difficult to assess their optimal utilization given that our knowledge of hepatitis a epidemiology in canada is fragmentary. unlike the united states, no nationwide study of hepatitis a prevalence has ever been done in canada. consequently we do not know the incidence of infection in children and what would be the most appropriate age for he ... | 2005 | 15933561 |
| routine testing for igg antibodies against hepatitis a virus in israel. | viral hepatitis is highly endemic in israel, with the hepatitis a virus (hav) responsible for most cases. improved socioeconomic factors, as well as the universal vaccination of infants (introduced in 1999) has resulted in a decline in infection rates in israel. this study examines the benefits of routine testing for anti-hav igg in high-risk population. | 2005 | 15935104 |
| universal fresh-frozen plasma (uniplas): an exploratory study in adult patients undergoing elective liver resection. | the compatibility of an abo blood group independently applicable plasma, uniplas, was explored in liver resection because patients undergoing liver resection frequently require the transfusion of plasma to compensate for blood loss and/or clotting factors. | 2005 | 15938736 |
| a world health organization international standard for hepatitis a virus rna nucleic acid amplification technology assays. | sixteen laboratories from 10 different countries participated in an international collaborative study to evaluate candidate materials as the first world health organization (who) international standard for hepatitis a virus (hav) rna nucleic acid amplification technology (nat) assays. | 2005 | 15938741 |
| cost-effectiveness of universal childhood hepatitis a vaccination in chile. | hepatitis a is an important public health problem in chile. childhood vaccination has reduced hepatitis a rates in several countries, prompting this evaluation of its cost-effectiveness in chile. using a markov model, we project mass vaccination would reduce hepatitis a cases among birth cohort members and their personal contacts >80%. vaccination costs of us dollars 5.3-6.4 million would be offset by us dollars 9.2-9.4 million reductions in disease costs. further, approximately 70 fatal infecti ... | 2005 | 15964479 |
| prolonged acute hepatitis a mimicking autoimmune hepatitis. | we report a case with a prolonged course of hepatitis a, with alanine aminotransferase (alt) higher than 500 iu/l for more than 2 mo. | 2005 | 15968741 |
| [prevalences of hepatitis virus coinfection and indications for chronic hepatitis c virus treatment and liver transplantation in spanish hiv-infected patients. the gesida 29/02 and fipse 12185/01 multicenter study]. | the aims of this study were to estimate the prevalence of hiv and hepatitis virus coinfection in the spanish population and to determine the percentage of patients who are candidates for chronic hepatitis c virus (hcv) treatment and liver transplantation within this population. | 2005 | 15970166 |
| usefulness of specific igg avidity for diagnosis of hepatitis a infection. | diagnosis of acute hepatitis a virus (hav) infection is classically based on the detection of hav-igm. nevertheless, hav-igm can be positive for patients with polyclonal stimulation of their immune system (i.e. immune reactivation). to improve the diagnostic yield, an avidity test for hav-igg antibodies was developed and tested. | 2005 | 15980754 |
| a seroepidemiologic study of helicobacter pylori and hepatitis a virus infection in primary school students in taipei. | helicobacter pylori and hepatitis a virus (hav) share a common fecal-oral transmission route. the aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of and risk factors for h. pylori and hav infection in primary school students in taiwan. we studied 289 grade 1 to 6 students from a single primary school in taipei county in 2003. the students volunteered for blood tests for h. pylori immunoglobulin g (igg) antibody and anti-hepatitis a antibody after consent from their parents. questionnaires we ... | 2005 | 15986067 |
| occurrence of hepatitis a virus genotype iii in germany requires the adaptation of commercially available diagnostic test systems. | a blood donation, obtained in 2003 in germany during the preseroconversion diagnostic window period of a hepatitis a virus (hav) infection, tested hav-negative by commercially available hav reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (rt-pcr) detection assays. | 2005 | 15987353 |
| magnetic bead technology in viral rna and dna extraction from plasma minipools. | nucleic acid testing (nat) of pooled plasma samples from individual blood donations for viral nucleic acids has become widely established. full automation of such sample processing can overcome many of the problems associated with methods used so far. | 2005 | 15987354 |
| seroprevalence of hepatitis a infection in a low endemicity country: a systematic review. | in canada--a low endemicity country, vaccines for hepatitis a virus (hav) are currently recommended to individuals at increased risk for infection or its complications. applying these recommendations is difficult because the epidemiology of hav infection is poorly defined, complex, and changing. this systematic review aimed to 1) estimate age-specific prevalence of hav antibody in canada and 2) evaluate infection-associated risk factors. | 2005 | 16001978 |
| effect of relative humidity on preharvest survival of bacterial and viral pathogens on the surface of cantaloupe, lettuce, and bell peppers. | the purpose of this study was to compare the effects of humidity on the preharvest survival of microbial pathogens on cantaloupe, lettuce, and bell peppers. an additional goal was to evaluate clostridium perfringens as an indicator of fecal contamination on produce. the microorganisms used in this study included escherichia coli, e. coli o157:h7, shigella sonnei, salmonella enterica subsp. enterica, clostridium perfringens, hepatitis a virus (hav), feline calicivirus (fcv), and coliphage prd1. t ... | 2005 | 16013370 |
| age-specific seroprevalence of hepatitis a among school children in central tunisia. | hepatitis a virus (hav) has different epidemiologic and clinical patterns, depending on the level of endemicity in a given geographic area. tunisia is considered a region of high endemicity for hepatitis. improvement of socioeconomic conditions in this country has made a determination of the seroprevalence of this disease advisable. we assessed the seroprevalence of hav in sousse in central tunisia. a total of 2,400 school children 5-20 years of age (mean +/- sd age = 11.7 +/- 3.5 years) were se ... | 2005 | 16014829 |
| immunogenicity of an inactivated hepatitis a pediatric vaccine: three-year post-booster follow-up. | the persistence of anti-hepatitis a virus antibody concentrations was followed over 3 years in 177 healthy children following primary and booster vaccination with an inactivated hepatitis a vaccine, avaxim 80 pediatric. seroconversion rates (post-immunization anti-hav antibody concentration >or=20 miu/ml) and geometric mean concentrations (gmc) were estimated for each of three age groups: 18 month--3 years, 4--8 years, and 9--15 years. only subjects who were initially hav-seronegative at inclusi ... | 2005 | 16043271 |
| influence of load of hepatitis a virus on disease severity and its relationship with clinical manifestations in patients with hepatitis a. | the purpose of the present study was to investigate the influence of viral load on disease severity and analyze the possible relationship of the load of hepatitis a virus (hav) with disease severity and laboratory findings. | 2005 | 16048563 |
| development of array-based technology for detection of hav using gold-dna probes. | a sensitive method for detection of hepatitis a virus (hav) by utilizing gold-dna probe on an array was developed. amino-modified oligodeoxynucleotides at the 5' position were arrayed on an activated glass surface to function as capture probes. sandwich hybridization occurred among capture probes, the hav amplicon, and gold nanoparticlesupported oligonucleotide probes. after a silver enhancement step, signals were detected by a standard flatbed scanner or just by naked eyes. as little as 100 fm ... | 2005 | 16053706 |
| resistance of hepatitis a virus in mussels subjected to different domestic cookings. | hepatitis a is a worldwide infectious disease. shellfish consumption has always been one of the major risk factors for hepatitis a infection, especially when these products are eaten raw or slightly cooked. moreover, the cooking does not always guarantee the harmlessness of shellfish. the aim of the present study was to evaluate the hepatitis a virus (hav) resistance in experimentally contaminated mussels, subjected to domestic cooking. three different domestic preparations (mussel hors-d'oevre, ... | 2005 | 16054720 |
| cell mediated and antibody immune response to inactivated hepatitis a vaccine. | the humoral and cellular immune response to inactivated hepatitis a vaccine was investigated dynamically in a time elapse study over 1 year. fourty-five healthy volunteers, seronegative for anti-hav, were vaccinated with 1440 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay units (eu) of formalin-inactivated hepatitis a virus following a 0--6-month schedule. serum anti-hav levels and hav-specific proliferation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells were measured at several time points over a 26- and 28-week per ... | 2005 | 16054733 |
| prevalence of anti-hepatits a antibodies in children of different socioeconomic conditions in vila velha, es. | this report describes the prevalence of anti-hav antibodies in children from elementary school in the municipality of vila velha, es, brazil. anti-hav antibodies were investigated by elisa method in the serum of 606 children (four to fourteen years old) from three elementary schools, located in neighborhoods with varying household monthly income levels: são josé school, 200 children, household income higher than us$700; são torquato school, 273 children, us$200 to 300; and cobi school, 133 child ... | 2005 | 16082472 |
| thermal stability of hepatitis e virus. | the thermal stability of virulent hepatitis e virus (hev) and hepatitis a virus (hav) was compared. fecal suspensions of virus were heated to temperatures between 45 degrees c and 70 degrees c, and residual infectivity was determined in a cell culture system that was permissive for both viruses. although hev was less stable than was hav, some hev would most likely survive the internal temperatures of rare-cooked meat. | 2005 | 16088844 |
| successful treatment of acute hepatitis a-associated hemophagocytic syndrome by intravenous immunoglobulin. | virus-associated hemophagocytic syndrome (vahs) is a rare complication in acute hepatitis a virus (hav) infection. there is no standard therapy for vahs and the clinical course is variable. data on the use of intravenous immunoglobulin (ivig) in the treatment of hav-associated vahs is limited. we report a previously healthy, 32-year-old man who presented with general malaise, fever, chills and splenomegaly. laboratory examination showed marked elevation of aminotransferase, leukopenia and thromb ... | 2005 | 16091828 |
| prevalence of hepatitis a among drug users in north-eastern italy. is vaccination necessary in low prevalence areas? | the authors report on the prevalence of, and risk factors for, hepatitis a virus (hav) in a group of drug users in italy. | 2005 | 16093301 |
| hepatitis a and b seropositivity among medical students. | health science students are commonly exposed to some infectious agents, including hepatitis a virus (hav) and hepatitis b virus (hbv), which may cause substantial morbidity and even deaths. the identification of prevalence and risk factors is essential for implementing efficacious preventive measures. a serological survey was performed among medical students of adnan menderes university medical faculty to determine the prevalence of antibodies against hav and hbv, and, as a secondary objective, ... | 2005 | 16098410 |
| evaluation of an automated high-volume extraction method for viral nucleic acids in comparison to a manual procedure with preceding enrichment. | nucleic acid extraction still harbours the potential for improvements in automation and sensitivity of nucleic acid amplification technology (nat) testing. this study evaluates the feasibility of a novel automated high-volume extraction protocol for nat minipool testing in a blood bank setting. | 2005 | 16101686 |
| hepatitis a virus suppresses rig-i-mediated irf-3 activation to block induction of beta interferon. | hepatitis a virus (hav) antagonizes the innate immune response by inhibition of double-stranded rna (dsrna)-induced beta interferon (ifn-beta) gene expression. in this report, we show that this is due to an interaction of hav with the intracellular dsrna-induced retinoic acid-inducible gene i (rig-i)-mediated signaling pathway upstream of the kinases responsible for interferon regulatory factor 3 (irf-3) phosphorylation (tbk1 and ikkepsilon). in consequence, irf-3 is not activated for nuclear tr ... | 2005 | 16103148 |
| hepatitis a in lebanon: a changing epidemiological pattern. | in this multicenter study in lebanon, hepatitis a virus (hav) seroprevalence rates were surveyed by age, gender, and socioeconomic factors. blood samples collected from 606 subjects aged 1 to 30 years were analyzed for anti-hav igg. age was the most important factor influencing hav seroprevalence. hav seroprevalence rates in the current study were about 78% in the > or = 21 years age group, 28% in the 6-10 years age group, and 11% in the 1-5 years age group as compared with 97.7% in adults, 85% ... | 2005 | 16103621 |
| decline of maternal hepatitis a antibodies during the first 2 years of life in infants born in turkey. | selective immunization of at-risk groups may reduce the incidence of hepatitis a infection, but only the inclusion of hepatitis a vaccine in a routine universal childhood immunization schedule would guarantee control of the infection. but the interference by maternally derived hepatitis a antibodies (anti-hav) with the immunogenicity of inactivated hepatitis a vaccine is still important in the determination of the optimal age for hepatitis a vaccination. the hepatitis a vaccines have not been as ... | 2005 | 16103622 |
| susceptibility to hepatitis a in patients with chronic liver disease due to hepatitis c virus infection: missed opportunities for vaccination. | hepatitis a virus (hav) superinfection is associated with a high risk of liver failure and death in patients with underlying chronic liver disease. although hav vaccination is recommended for all patients with chronic hepatitis c virus (hcv) infection, little is known about adherence to these recommendations in clinical practice. the aims of this study were to determine the frequency of hav testing and vaccination among patients with chronic hcv infection. we conducted a retrospective cohort stu ... | 2005 | 16104047 |
| hepatitis a vaccines. | hepatitis a, an acute usually self limiting infection of the liver is one of the most common vaccine-preventable infectious disease in the world. effective vaccines which provide long term immunity against hepatitis a have been available since 1992. they are of known good quality, well tolerated with no serious adverse events and have been successfully used to protect different populations from infection as well as interrupt outbreak in closed communities. mathematical models estimate the long t ... | 2005 | 16108190 |
| seroprevalence of hepatitis a antibodies in relation to social factors--a preliminary study. | hepatitis a is a benign illness in children with the rare possibility of fatal complications. although an endemic disease, very few studies have been done in children regarding the seroprevalence of hepatitis a antibodies in sri lanka. | 2005 | 16114769 |
| prevention of hepatitis a by havrix: a review. | hepatitis a is one of the most common vaccine-preventable infectious diseases in the world. with at least 1.5 million cases of hepatitis a worldwide each year, disease management constitutes a substantial economic burden. the first effective vaccine against hepatitis a, havrix was introduced in 1992. this review summarizes data accumulated following more than a decade of clinical experience with this vaccine and compares clinical data with other currently available hepatitis a vaccines. based on ... | 2005 | 16117704 |
| efficacy of inactivated hepatitis a vaccine in hiv-infected patients: a hierarchical bayesian meta-analysis. | patients with human immunodeficiency virus-1 (hiv) have elevated risk for hepatitis a virus (hav) coinfection. sequelae from coinfection include increased risk of liver-related morbidity and mortality. this study synthesizes the results of trials measuring response to hav vaccine in hiv-infected patients using bayesian meta-analysis methodologies. pubmed, ohiolink/medline, and other sources were used to search for studies analyzing response to hav vaccine in hiv-infected patients. studies were e ... | 2006 | 16139398 |
| an outbreak of hepatitis a virus infection with a high case-fatality rate among injecting drug users. | in 2002, the first reported outbreak of hepatitis a virus (hav) infection involving mostly intravenous drug users (idu) occurred in italy. we attempted a thorough evaluation of the outbreak, including epidemiological, clinical and virological analyses. | 2005 | 16143420 |
| necrobiotic xanthogranuloma associated with choroidal infiltration and syncytial giant cell hepatitis. | a 31-year-old woman developed necrobiotic xanthogranuloma (nxg), a thickened choroid, and syncytial giant cell hepatitis, a previously unreported association. nxg and syncytial giant cell hepatitis may have a common autoimmune pathogenesis. | 2005 | 16148625 |
| rapid and quantitative detection of hepatitis a virus from green onion and strawberry rinses by use of real-time reverse transcription-pcr. | in this study, an immunomagnetic capture method and a real-time reverse transcription-pcr assay were used to quantify hepatitis a virus (hav) in green onion and strawberry rinses. this combined protocol detected as low as 0.5 pfu hav in produce rinses and concentrated hav levels up to 20-fold. | 2005 | 16151164 |
| changing epidemiology of hepatitis a in the bologna metropolitan area, northern italy: importance of counselling and prophylactic measures for the male homo/bisexual population. | during a 6-year observational study, 122 cases of hepatitis a virus (hav) infection were detected in bologna, italy, with a c. 300% increase in cases between 1999 and 2004. there were 104 cases (85.2%) in male adults, of whom nearly 70% had unprotected sexual contact as the probable risk-factor. there were increasing numbers of cases in immigrants between 1999 and 2004 (p 0.036), and concurrent cases of infection with human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis b and c viruses and syphilis were also ... | 2005 | 16153262 |
| an outbreak of hepatitis a among homeless drug users in rotterdam, the netherlands. | from the end of january to mid-june 2004 (weeks 5-24) a hepatitis a virus (hav) outbreak occurred among a homeless and drug user community in rotterdam, the netherlands. to prevent further spread of the virus within this group and to the general population, the municipal health service of rotterdam organized a mass vaccination campaign during which 83% (1,515/1,800) of the homeless people were vaccinated. as part of a national hav typing study, blood and/or fecal samples of 30 rotterdam hav igm+ ... | 2005 | 16173016 |
| [serological survey and vaccination against viral hepatitis a in health care providers at the clinic of infectious diseases in ostrava]. | the health care providers of the clinic of infectious diseases in ostrava were screened for immunity to hepatitis a virus (hav) in an attempt to provide vaccination against hepatitis a to non-immune persons. study subjects and methods: a cohort of 101 health care providers of the clinic of infectious diseases, i.e. 10 physicians, 56 nurses and 35 nursing auxiliaries, were screened. total anti-hav antibodies were determined by elisa and the subjects not reaching the protective level of anti-hav a ... | 2005 | 16173524 |
| recurrence of clinically significant hepatitis a following liver transplantation for fulminant hepatitis a. | we report hepatitis a virus (hav) infection of a liver allograft following transplantation for fulminant liver failure due to hav infection. this rare condition has been described in only three patients to date. after liver transplantation allograft function was good, but starting 80 days after transplantation, episodes of acute graft dysfunction were observed. | 2006 | 16185915 |
| characterization and genetic variability of hepatitis a virus genotype iiia. | molecular epidemiological studies of hepatitis a outbreaks in norway showed the emergence of hepatitis a virus (hav) genotype iiia in association with parenteral transmission among haemophiliacs and intravenous drug users. the complete genomic sequence of one of these outbreak isolates, nor-21, was determined. this is the first complete genomic sequence of hav genotype iiia. phylogenetic analysis showed that genotype iiia/nor-21 was genetically distinct from the other human and simian genotypes. ... | 2005 | 16186227 |
| iga-coated particles of hepatitis a virus are translocalized antivectorially from the apical to the basolateral site of polarized epithelial cells via the polymeric immunoglobulin receptor. | although hepatitis a virus (hav) is transmitted by the faecal-oral route, its target for replication is the liver. little is known of its interactions with cells of the gastrointestinal tract, and it is not known by which mechanisms hav crosses the intestinal epithelium. in this study, it is shown that hav associated with iga is translocated from the apical to the basolateral compartment of polarized epithelial cells via the polymeric immunoglobulin receptor by iga-mediated reverse transcytosis. ... | 2005 | 16186228 |
| [hepatitis a in poland in 2003]. | epidemiological situation of hepatitis a in poland since 1997 was evaluated as low endemicity and since 2002 as very low endemicity. high percentage of cases were noted among adult persons, especially in the age 25-29 years. the course of disease was more serious, than before 1997. in 2004 only 95 cases of hepatitis a were noted in poland (incidence rate 0.25/100 000). the number and percentage of unimmunized persons, especially among children, adolescents and young adults increases very rapidly ... | 2005 | 16190532 |
| prevalence of parvovirus b19 and hepatitis a virus in portuguese blood donors. | in recent years, concern about the safety of blood in regard to the transmission of blood-borne viruses has been decreased. safety has been achieved with a combination of different strategies, such as careful selection of donors, screening for relevant virological markers and viral inactivation/removal methods. more recently, the implementation of the nucleic acid amplification technologies for the detection of hiv-1, hcv and hbv, has increased safety by reducing the "window period" of the infec ... | 2005 | 16203176 |
| hepatitis a immunization strategies: universal versus targeted approaches. | the alternative to nationwide childhood hepatitis a vaccination is to continue targeting high-risk adults. to consider how many of today's children will become vaccination candidates, the proportion of adults reporting a lifetime history of hepatitis a risk factors was examined. one thousand thirty-four us adults responded to a confidential postal survey, 49% of whom had met current advisory committee on immunization practices (acip) criteria for immunization and 72% had met an expanded set of c ... | 2005 | 16211195 |
| convert hepatitis c virus into a non-enveloped virus like hepatitis a, by targeting its envelope rather than the rna. | based on the current understanding of the differences between the structure of hepatitis c virus (hcv) in one hand and the hepatitis a and e viruses (hav and hev) in the other hand, we hypothesize that converting the hcv into a non-enveloped virus may be the required key step in allowing viral clearance and preventing chronic viremia. better understanding of the structure of hcv envelop, and of the mechanisms involved in its acquisition is essential for the development of agents that can interfe ... | 2006 | 16229965 |
| reduced-dose intradermal vaccination against hepatitis a with an aluminum-free vaccine is immunogenic and can lower costs. | a reduced dose (0.1 ml) of intradermal hepatitis a virus (hav) vaccine could facilitate the control of hepatitis a in countries of endemicity. all study subjects receiving an aluminum-free hav vaccine intradermally were seroprotected 28 days after vaccination (anti-hav titer, > or =10 miu/ml). seroprotection rates decreased to 80.8% at 12 months but returned to 100%, with titers increasing 28-fold, after receipt of a booster vaccination. | 2005 | 16231271 |
| real-time nucleic acid sequence-based amplification assay for detection of hepatitis a virus. | a nucleic acid sequence-based amplification (nasba) assay in combination with a molecular beacon was developed for the real-time detection and quantification of hepatitis a virus (hav). a 202-bp, highly conserved 5' noncoding region of hav was targeted. the sensitivity of the real-time nasba assay was tested with 10-fold dilutions of viral rna, and a detection limit of 1 pfu was obtained. the specificity of the assay was demonstrated by testing with other environmental pathogens and indicator mi ... | 2005 | 16269748 |
| experience with hepatitis a and b vaccines. | the lengthy history of efforts to understand the pathogenesis and means of preventing and controlling both hepatitis a and b is noteworthy for many exceptional scientific achievements. among these are the development of vaccines to prevent the spread of infection through induction of active immunity to hepatitis a virus (hav) and hepatitis b virus (hbv). the first plasma-derived hepatitis b vaccine was licensed in the united states in 1981 and was replaced by recombinant hepatitis b vaccines in ... | 2005 | 16271535 |
| screening for hepatitis a and b antibodies in patients with chronic liver disease. | chronic liver disease (cld) is highly prevalent, and hepatitis c is one of the leading causes. acute hepatitis a or b in patients with chronic hepatitis c can lead to more severe hepatic injury and a higher fatality rate than in patients without hepatitis c. thus, the advisory committee on immunization practices (acip) of the centers for disease control and prevention and the world health organization recommend that persons with cld be vaccinated against hepatitis a virus (hav), and the acip and ... | 2005 | 16271538 |
| overcoming obstacles to immunization in patients with chronic liver disease. | the importance of vaccination to protect against hepatitis a virus (hav) and hepatitis b virus (hbv) infections in patients with chronic liver disease has been established. however, in this population, a number of obstacles can interfere with appropriate and timely hepatitis immunization. the costs of hepatitis a and b vaccine series are out of reach for many uninsured patients. many private and government-sponsored insurance programs do not routinely cover these vaccinations for patients with c ... | 2005 | 16271540 |
| hepatitis a and b immunization in persons being evaluated for sexually transmitted diseases. | sexual transmission accounts for the majority of hepatitis b virus (hbv) infections in industrialized countries. hepatitis a virus (hav) can be transmitted by sexual practices that involve fecal-oral exposure. both infections are disproportionately frequent in men who have sex with men (msm). routine immunization against hbv is recommended for msm and for persons being evaluated or treated for sexually transmitted diseases (stds), and hav immunization is advised for msm and for other persons at ... | 2005 | 16271545 |
| hepatitis a and b immunizations of individuals infected with human immunodeficiency virus. | all persons at risk for infection with human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) types 1 and 2, including men who have sex with men, those with multiple heterosexual contacts, abusers of illegal injection drugs, and persons frequently exposed to blood and blood products, are also at high risk for hepatitis a virus (hav) and acute and chronic hepatitis b virus (hbv) infections. hiv can prolong the duration and increase the level of hav viremia and augment hav-related liver abnormalities. hiv also magnif ... | 2005 | 16271546 |
| detection and differentiation of human hepatitis a strains by commercial quantitative real-time rt-pcr tests. | performance characteristics of two commercial quantitative hepatitis a virus (hav) rt-pcr assays, the lightcycler hepatitis a virus quantification kit (roche diagnostics) and the realart hav lc rt pcr kit (artus gmbh) for detection and quantification of hav were evaluated. both assays rely on reverse transcription and amplification of extracted rna. dilutions of two hav strains, belonging to different subtypes, were prepared to determine the precision, accuracy, linearity and the detection limit ... | 2006 | 16280175 |
| dual modes of modification of hepatitis a virus 3c protease by a serine-derived beta-lactone: selective crystallization and formation of a functional catalytic triad in the active site. | hepatitis a virus (hav) 3c proteinase is a member of the picornain cysteine proteases responsible for the processing of the viral polyprotein, a function essential for viral maturation and infectivity. this and its structural similarity to other 3c and 3c-like proteases make it an attractive target for the development of antiviral drugs. previous solution nmr studies have shown that a cys24ser (c24s) variant of hav 3c protein, which displays catalytic properties indistinguishable from the native ... | 2005 | 16288920 |
| infrared fluorescent immunofocus assay (ir-fifa) for the quantitation of non-cytopathic and minimally cytopathic viruses. | a novel method was developed for the precise quantitation of viruses using infrared fluorescent detection of foci of infection in conventional cell culture plates. in this assay, termed the infrared fluorescent immunofocus assay (ir-fifa), appropriate cell cultures were infected with serial dilutions of hepatitis a virus (hav) or measles virus (mv) and maintained with a semi-solid overlay for 1-5 days. cell monolayers were fixed with formaldehyde, and then stained in succession with a primary mo ... | 2006 | 16300833 |
| [molecular detection and sequence analysis of hepatitis a virus (hav) in two outbreaks in 2004 in north east hungary]. | hepatitis a virus (hav) is the most important cause of acute infectious hepatitis worldwide. in hungary, the reported number of hav infections decreasing in the last decades, however, in every year approximately 500-800 new cases occur. in hungary, particularly in north east region not only sporadic cases but also outbreaks of hav are happen from time to time. serology is routinely used laboratory method for diagnosis of hav infections, although, there was no direct molecular detection and seque ... | 2005 | 16302357 |
| hepatitis a virus infection in the united states: serologic results from the third national health and nutrition examination survey. | to determine the prevalence of hepatitis a virus (hav) infection in the general u.s. population, sera from participants in the third national health and nutrition examination survey (nhanes iii) conducted in 1988-1994 were tested for antibody to hav (anti-hav). among 21,260 participants aged > or = 6 years tested, the overall prevalence of infection was 31.3%, and increased markedly with age. the age-adjusted prevalence was significantly higher among foreign- compared to u.s.-born participants, ... | 2005 | 16307834 |
| person-to-person transmission of hepatitis a virus in an urban area of intermediate endemicity: implications for vaccination strategies. | developing countries with an increasing hepatitis a disease burden may target vaccination to specific groups, such as young children, as an initial control strategy. to better understand transmission of hepatitis a virus in such countries, the authors prospectively studied household and day-care/school contacts of cases in almaty, kazakhstan. overall, by the time of identification of symptomatic index cases, half of transmission had already occurred, having been detected retrospectively. the odd ... | 2006 | 16339053 |
| non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in hiv-positive patients predisposes for acute-on-chronic liver failure: two cases. | non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is a prominent feature in hiv-positive patients. we present two patients with long-lasting hiv-infection who suffered from this disease, as induced by highly active anti-retroviral therapy (haart). the patients developed acute-on-chronic (aoc) liver failure after either (case 1) acute infection with hepatitis a virus (hav) or (case 2) methamphetamine abuse ('ecstasy'). approximately 1 week after visiting an area endemic for hav, case 1, a male patient, presented ... | 2006 | 16357628 |
| viral safety of nanogam, a new 15 nm-filtered liquid immunoglobulin product. | producers of plasma derivatives continuously improve the viral safety of their products by, for example, introducing additional virus-reducing steps into the manufacturing process. here we present virus-elimination studies undertaken for a number of steps employed in a new manufacturing process for liquid intravenous immunoglobulin (nanogam) that comprises two specific virus-reducing steps: a 15-nm filtration step combined with pepsin treatment at ph 4.4 (ph 4.4/15nf); and solvent-detergent (sd) ... | 2006 | 16359352 |
| analysis of sequential hepatitis a virus strains reveals coexistence of distinct viral subpopulations. | hepatitis a virus (hav) is a hepatotropic member of the family picornaviridae. despite a remarkable antigenic stability, recent results have shown that hav exists in vivo and in cell culture as distributions of genetically related, non-identical variants, referred to as quasispecies. to gain insight into hav evolution over time in a specific geographical region, genotype i consensus sequences from strains isolated in france in consecutive years were studied. phylogenetic neighbour-joining method ... | 2006 | 16361423 |
| antibody responses to hepatitis a virus vaccine in hiv-infected children with evidence of immunologic reconstitution while receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy. | human immunodeficiency virus (hiv)-infected patients have weak responses to vaccines and may require revised immunization regimens. we investigated the safety and immunogenicity of 2 doses of hepatitis a virus (hav) vaccine followed by a booster dose in hiv-infected children receiving stable highly active antiretroviral therapy. | 2006 | 16362896 |
| exposure to hav infection in patients with chronic liver disease in italy, a multicentre study. | we carried out a multicentre study on 2830 patients with chronic liver disease from 79 liver units (25 in northern, 24 in central and 30 in southern italy) to evaluate naturally acquired immunity against hepatitis a virus (hav) in relation to age, sex, geographical area of origin and entity of liver disease, and to define the strategy for specific vaccination. antibody to hav (anti-hav) was detected in 1514 (53.5%) of the 2830 patients tested; the prevalence was 50.4% in males and 59.1% in femal ... | 2006 | 16364085 |
| intra-laboratory validation of a concentration method adapted for the enumeration of infectious f-specific rna coliphage, enterovirus, and hepatitis a virus from inoculated leaves of salad vegetables. | salad vegetables exposed to fecal contamination may cause outbreaks of hepatitis or gastro-enteritis if they are eaten raw. a procedure, based on elution with phosphate-buffered saline and concentration by filtration through membrane filters, was developed for the recovery of enteric viruses from salad leaves. the method was evaluated using lettuce leaves inoculated with hepatitis a virus (hav), poliovirus, and ms2 bacteriophage. in addition, this method was validated by an intra-laboratory stud ... | 2006 | 16387377 |
| detection of hepatitis a virus from clotting factors implicated as a source of hav infection among haemophilia patients in korea. | to investigate the causal relationship of blood clotting factors and hepatitis a virus (hav) infection in haemophilia patients during 1998-1999 in korea, we performed a 1:3 matched case-control study and molecular detection of hav from clotting factors and patients. the epidemiological investigation showed that one lot of clotting factor viii was related epidemiologically to patients with hepatitis a with an odds ratio of 35.0, or 38.4 when adjusted for the interval between injections. we examin ... | 2006 | 16409654 |
| stable growth of wild-type hepatitis a virus in cell culture. | human wild-type (wt) hepatitis a virus (hav), the causative agent of acute hepatitis, barely grows in cell culture and in the process accumulates attenuating and cell culture-adapting mutations. this genetic instability of wt hav in cell culture is a major roadblock to studying hav pathogenesis and producing live vaccines that are not overly attenuated for humans. to develop a robust cell culture system capable of supporting the efficient growth of wt hav, we transfected different cell lines wit ... | 2006 | 16415012 |
| diagnosis of hepatitis a virus infection: a molecular approach. | current serologic tests provide the foundation for diagnosis of hepatitis a and hepatitis a virus (hav) infection. recent advances in methods to identify and characterize nucleic acid markers of viral infections have provided the foundation for the field of molecular epidemiology and increased our knowledge of the molecular biology and epidemiology of hav. although hav is primarily shed in feces, there is a strong viremic phase during infection which has allowed easy access to virus isolates and ... | 2006 | 16418523 |
| development of an extraction and concentration procedure and comparison of rt-pcr primer systems for the detection of hepatitis a virus and norovirus gii in green onions. | vegetables can be considered as a vector of transmission for human hepatic and enteric viruses such as hepatitis a virus (hav) and noroviruses when contaminated by spoiled irrigation water or when prepared by infected food handlers. recently, outbreaks of hav have been reported in the usa involving fresh green onions. a viral elution-concentration method was developed for the detection of hav and norovirus contaminated green onions by rt-pcr. repeated pipetting/washings of the surface with a ph ... | 2006 | 16423413 |
| response to hepatitis a vaccine in hiv-positive patients. | the usphs/idsa guidelines for prevention of opportunistic infections in persons with human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) recommends that all susceptible hiv+ patients at increased risk for hepatitis a virus (hav) or with chronic liver disease, be vaccinated against hav. immune response to hav vaccine has not been well studied in hiv+ patients. in particular, there is little information in the literature regarding the effect and relationship of the cd4 count and the immune response in hiv patients ... | 2006 | 16436125 |
| seroepidemiology of hepatitis a and hepatitis b virus in luxembourg. | a prospective seroepidemiological survey was carried out in luxembourg in 2000-2001 to determine the antibody status of the luxembourg population against hepatitis a virus (hav) and hepatitis b virus (hbv). one of the objectives of this survey was to assess the impact of the hepatitis b vaccination programme, which started in may 1996 and included a catch-up campaign for all adolescents aged 12-15 years. venous blood from 2679 individuals was screened for the presence of antibodies to hav antige ... | 2006 | 16436219 |
| synthesis and antiviral screening of some thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidine nucleosides. | some cyclic and acyclic nucleosides of thieno[2,3-d]-pyrimidine derivatives were synthesized via the reaction of compounds 1 and 2 or 3 and 4 with 2-chloroethyl methyl ether or 2,3,4, 6-tetra-o-acetyl-alpha-d-glucopyranosyl bromide. nucleosides 9, 10, 15, and 16 were tested as antiviral agents against herpes simplex virus type-1 (hsv-1) and hepatitis-a virus (hav). compound 15 showed the highest effect on hsv-1 than the other three compounds, while the four tested compounds did not show any acti ... | 2006 | 16440982 |
| hepatitis a virus infection -- shifting epidemiology. | to determine the age distribution in hav infection and seasonal variations in the prevalence of acute viral hepatitis caused by hepatitis a virus. | 2006 | 16441981 |
| hepatitis a virus: from discovery to vaccines. | hepatitis a virus (hav), the causative agent of type a viral hepatitis, is an ancient human virus that was first identified almost 35 years ago. it has several characteristics that make it unique among the picornaviridae, particularly in terms of its mechanisms of polyprotein processing and virion morphogenesis, and which likely contribute to its pathobiology. although efficacious vaccines containing formalin-inactivated virus produced in cell culture have been licensed in multiple countries, th ... | 2006 | 16447259 |
| epidemiology and clinical features of sporadic hepatitis e as compared with hepatitis a. | to compare the epidemiology and clinical features of two enterically transmitted hepatitis, namely hepatitis e and hepatitis a. | 2006 | 16454833 |
| detection of hepatitis a virus (hav) in oysters (crassostrea gigas). | because shellfish (oysters, clams, and mussels) are filter-feeders, pathogens become concentrated within them, and human consumption of raw, or under-cooked shellfish can result in disease outbreaks. identification of hepatitis a virus (hav) in shellfish has been difficult for several reasons: the concentration of virions in shellfish tissues are very low, detection methods based on in vitro propagation are unreliable, recovery of virions from shellfish tissues is inefficient, and pcr inhibitors ... | 2006 | 16457870 |
| acute pericarditis and renal failure complicating acute hepatitis a infection. | hepatitis a infection may result in acute hepatitis, and rarely, fulminant hepatitis may ensue. extrahepatic manifestations of hepatitis a are uncommon. the authors present the case of a 77-year-old male who had development of acute renal failure and pericarditis during the clinical course of acute hepatitis a infection. he died as a result of septic shock on the fifth day of hospitalization. to the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of both these rare and serious complications appe ... | 2006 | 16466128 |
| detection of immunoglobulin m antibody to hepatitis a virus in patients without acute hepatitis a: the usefulness of specific immunoglobulin g avidity. | | 2006 | 16477569 |
| identification and sequence analysis of hepatitis a virus detected in market and environmental bivalve molluscs. | in italy in 1998, hepatitis a virus (hav) was responsible for an infectious disease transmitted by contaminated bivalve molluscs. to determine the presence of hav in the bivalves collected during a 1-year follow-up study, hepatitis a rna was extracted and amplified by a nested reverse transcriptase-pcr method overlapping the vp1/2a region. the hav genome was detected in 24 (14.1%) of 170 samples: 19 clams (tapes decussates and tapes semidecussatus), 1 oyster (crossostea gigas), and 4 mussels (my ... | 2006 | 16496593 |
| an ultracentrifugation-based approach to the detection of hepatitis a virus in soft fruits. | a method was developed for detection of hepatitis a virus (hav) in soft fruits (raspberries and strawberries). after washing the sample in 1 m sodium bicarbonate with added soya protein, fruits were removed by slow speed centrifugation, then particulate material and residual pectin were removed from the supernatant by flocculation and pectinase treatment during another slow speed centrifugation. virus particles were then sedimented by ultracentrifugation. rna was extracted from the virus particl ... | 2006 | 16497401 |
| microbiology devices; reclassification of hepatitis a virus serological assays. final rule. | the food and drug administration (fda) is issuing a final rule to reclassify hepatitis a virus (hav) serological assays from class iii (premarket approval) into class ii (special controls). fda is taking this action after reviewing a reclassification petition submitted by beckman coulter, inc. elsewhere in this issue of the federal register, fda is announcing the availability of the guidance document entitled "guidance for industry and fda staff: class ii special controls guidance document: hepa ... | 2006 | 16502543 |
| [genetic diversity of hepatitis a virus in siberia]. | the nucleotide sequences of a region of vp1/2a genes of a large group of hepatitis a virus (hav) isolates circulating in siberia (the altai territory, the irkutsk and novosibirsk regions) were determined. comparison of these sequences with those of prototype hav of genotypes ia, ib, and iia revealed their high similarity to prototype genotype ia strains. the above domains were shown to contain the types of viruses, which were close to both the european subtypes of hav genotypes ia (78.3%) and th ... | 2006 | 16515038 |
| anti-hepatitis a virus frequency in adolescents at an outpatient clinic in são paulo, brazil. | the prevalence of hepatitis a virus (hav) antibodies was assessed in adolescents (age ranging from 10.4 to 19.9 years) at an adolescent outpatient clinic in são paulo, brazil. anti-hav was detected in 137 (54.2%) out of 253 individuals. when separated into two age groups, anti-hav frequency was higher in the 15 to 19 year-old group (64%) in comparison to the 10 to 14 year-old group (46%) (chi-square test: p = 0.004). these results suggest that adolescents in são paulo are at risk of hepatitis a ... | 2006 | 16547579 |
| preparation and determination of immunological activities of anti-hbv egg yolk extraction. | to prepare an effective immune preparation to treat hepatitis b, hens were immunized with hepatitis b vaccines, and then anti-hbv egg yolk extraction (anti-hbv eye) was refined from egg yolk by a dialyzable method. its chemical characteristics were identified by ultraviolet spectrum, hplc, lowry analysis and pharmacopocia-raleted methods. the specific immunological activity was examined by leukocyte adherence inhibition (lai) in vitro and delayed type hypersensitivity (dth) in vivo. anti-hbv eye ... | 2006 | 16549053 |
| immunogenicity and safety of a virosomal hepatitis a vaccine (epaxal) in the elderly. | protection against hepatitis a virus (hav) in the elderly is becoming more important as more senior travelers visit areas of high hav endemicity, and less have protective antibodies acquired after natural infection during childhood. this study assessed the immunogenicity and safety of hepatitis a vaccine in elderly compared to young adults. | 2006 | 16553593 |
| infectious burden as a determinant of atopy-- a comparison between adults in finnish and russian karelia. | evidence of the influence of pathogen exposure on the development of atopy and atopic disease is not unequivocal. we investigated the association between markers of infections and occurrence of atopy among adults in eastern finland and western russia, two adjacent areas with profound differences in living conditions and lifestyles. | 2006 | 16554659 |
| [hepatitis a and e virus antibodies in chilean children of low socioeconomic status: a one year follow-up study]. | the seroprevalence of antibodies against hepatitis a virus (hav) is decreasing in many latin american countries, along with improvements in sanitary standards. however, there is no information available about low socioeconomic status (lse) populations. | 2006 | 16554919 |
| epidemiology, natural history, and treatment of hepatitis b virus and hepatitis c virus coinfection. | hepatitis b virus (hbv) and hepatitis c virus (hcv) infections are important global public health problems. coinfection with hbv and hcv is not uncommon due to the shared route of parenteral transmission. the interaction between hbv and hcv in coinfected individuals is complex, and viral interference has been well described. patients who are coinfected with hbv and hcv have faster rates of fibrosis progression, more severe liver disease, and are at markedly increased risk of developing hepatocel ... | 2006 | 16557186 |
| hepatitis a prevalence among injection drug users. | the purpose of this study was to develop a descriptive model of the association between injection drug use and hepatitis a (hav) in a sample of injection drug users (idus). | 2006 | 16617553 |
| acute hepatitis a infection in pregnancy is associated with high rates of gestational complications and preterm labor. | hepatitis a virus (hav) infection is the most common cause of acute hepatitis but is rarely reported during pregnancy. our aim was to evaluate the impact of acute hav infection on pregnancy outcome. | 2006 | 16618407 |
| prevalence of hepatitis a virus infection among municipal solid-waste workers. | a study was conducted among 151 municipal workers (72 solid-waste workers, and 79 workers not exposed to waste). total antibodies against hepatitis a virus (hav) were measured, and socio-demographic information was collected using a self-administered questionnaire. univariate analysis has shown that occupational exposure to waste, age, duration of employment and educational status were significantly associated with the prevalence of anti-hav(+). municipal solid waste workers had a higher prevale ... | 2006 | 16669822 |
| health risks of enteric viral infections in children. | children are at a greater risk of infections from serious enteric viral illness than adults for a number of reasons. most important is the immune system, which is needed to control the infection processes. this difference can lead to more serious infections than in adults, who have fully developed immune systems. there are a number of significant physiological and behavioral differences between adults and children that place children at a greater risk of exposure and a greater risk of serious in ... | 2006 | 16676900 |
| human membrane protein tim-3 facilitates hepatitis a virus entry into target cells. | in this study, a cellular surface membrane protein of immunoglobulin (ig) superfamily (igsf) was identified from a human dendritic cell (dc) cdna library by large-scale random sequencing, which is identical to previously reported tim-3 (t-cell ig- and mucin-domain-containing molecule 3). recent data have suggested the association of the 281-residue mouse tim-3 molecule with th1-related t cell responses and disease in mice. human tim-3 is a 301-residue type i membrane protein whose extracellular ... | 2006 | 16685421 |
| transfusion-transmitted virus in association with hepatitis a-e viral infections in various forms of liver diseases in india. | to describe the prevalence of transfusion-transmitted virus (ttv) infection in association with hepatitis a-e viral infections in different forms of liver diseases in north india. | 2006 | 16688839 |