Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0021051 (immunodeficiency)
 71,517 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The Central African Republic is located in tropical Africa, where both the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) are highly endemic. The exact prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) and hepatitis E virus (HEV) markers in this country is unknown. The aim of the study was to determine, according to HIV and HBV serostatus, the prevalence of these markers in young sexually active adults in the Central African Republic. One hundred and fifty-seven consecutive patients attending the National Centre for Sexually Transmitted Diseases in Bangui were included. The following serological markers were examined: (i) anti-HIV1 and anti-HIV2 antibodies; (ii) markers of HBV infection; (iii) anti-HCV antibodies; (iv) anti-HEV antibodies. Anti-HIV1 antibodies were found in 31 of the 157 patients (20%). The prevalence of anti-HBc antibodies, reflecting exposure to HBV, was 140/157 (89%) and 45 had detectable anti-HBs antibodies. Twenty-two patients (14%) were chronic carriers of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), but only one was HBe antigen-positive. Anti-HCV antibodies were found in 8 persons (5%) and anti-HEV antibodies in 38 (24%). No difference was found in the prevalence of these markers according to the presence or absence of anti-HIV antibodies. This study confirms the high rate of HIV infection, HBV exposure and chronic carriage of HBsAg in sexually active young adults in the Central African Republic. A high prevalence of HCV markers was found in this population, similar to that reported in neighbouring countries, together with a high rate of HEV markers, suggesting that HEV is endemic in this region.
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PMID:High prevalence of hepatitis B, C, and E markers in young sexually active adults from the Central African Republic. 756 2

Hepatitis A is usually a benign, self-limited infection. A chronic carrier state does not exist, and perinatal transmission does not occur. Hepatitis B may cause chronic infection, and infants delivered to infected mothers are at considerable risk of developing neonatal hepatitis. Passive and active immunization with HBIG and HBV is highly effective in preventing perinatal transmission. Hepatitis D typically occurs as a coinfection or superinfection with hepatitis B. Patients infected with both viruses are at high risk for chronic liver disease. Perinatal transmission of hepatitis D can be prevented by the immunoprophylaxis used for hepatitis B. Non-A, non-B hepatitis occurs in two distinct forms: parenterally transmitted hepatitis C and enterically transmitted hepatitis E. Perinatal transmission of hepatitis C can occur, particularly in women who are concurrently infected with the human immunodeficiency virus. Neonatal immunoprophylaxis is not yet available. Hepatitis E may be associated with high maternal mortality rates in developing nations. However, a chronic carrier state does not exist, and perinatal transmission does not occur. Table 2 summarizes the most important features of each form of viral hepatitis.
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PMID:Viral hepatitis in pregnancy. 816 22

Developed western countries are considered to be relatively free from endemic foci of hepatitis E virus (HEV) infections. The aim of this study was to assess the seroepidemiology of HEV in north-east Italy. Of the 2361 individuals studied 1889 were representative of the general population and 472 were from groups at high risk for viral infections: 279 drug users and 193 patients on chronic haemodialysis. All sera were tested for hepatitis C virus antibody (HCVAb), human immunodeficiency virus antibody (HIVAb) and for hepatitis B virus (HBV) serology. Two solid-phase enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) were used to study the seroepidemiology of HEV IgG, the first (using recombinant antigens) for confirmation of initially reactive samples. The prevalence of circulating hepatitis E virus antibody (HEVAb) was 2.6% in the open population, 5.4% among drug users and 9.3% among patients on chronic haemodialysis. In the open population a positive relationship between age and prevalence of HEVAb was observed. A relationship between presence of HEVAb and serological evidence of previous HBV or HCV infections was also observed in this study. It was concluded that HEV infections are present in north-east Italy and are more frequent among subjects at risk for blood-borne viral infections. The positive correlation, observed in the open population, between age and prevalence of HEVAb suggests the presence of a cohort effect.
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PMID:Hepatitis E virus infection in north-east Italy: serological study in the open population and groups at risk. 887 81

The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection among individuals at high risk of transmission of non-A, non-B hepatitis or sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and to evaluate whether they have an increased risk of exposure to HEV. Serum samples from 125 thalassemia patients, 300 intravenous drug users, 420 hemodialysis patients, 263 individuals with STDs, 47 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected homosexual men, and 316 healthy volunteers were tested for immunoglobulin G (IgG) and M (IgM) antibodies to HEV (anti-HEV) by enzyme immunoassays (EIAs) following a predetermined algorithm (Abbott Labs). Anti-HEV IgG was confirmed in 3/125 (2.4%) thalassemia patients, 5/300 (1.7%) intravenous drug users, 27/420 (6.4%) hemodialysis patients, 4/263 (1.5%) STD patients, 1/47 (2.1%) homosexual men, and 7/316 (2.2%) of the reference group. No patient was found positive for anti-HEV IgM. The higher prevalence which was observed in hemodialysis group was due to the confounding effect of age, as multivariate analysis showed. The anti-HEV prevalence increased significantly with age (p = 10(-4)). No significant association was found between anti-HEV, anti-HCV, and anti-HBc. In conclusion, individuals at high risk of non-A, non-B hepatitis and STDs have no increased risk of exposure to HEV and the higher prevalence of anti-HEV IgG among older subjects may be due to an epidemic form of HEV infection which occurred some decades ago, when the sanitary conditions in our country were poor.
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PMID:Hepatitis E virus infection in individuals at high risk of transmission of non-A, non-B hepatitis and sexually transmitted diseases. 895 70

Antibody to hepatitis E virus of IgG class (anti-HEV IgG) is regularly detected in industrialized countries, where HEV is non-endemic, at levels not exceeding 2-3%; seropositive individuals are often found in certain groups of patients and professionals exposed to an increased risk of blood-borne infections. The present study was aimed at the identification of anti-HEV IgG in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, including acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), living in Russia and Belarus, an area of low anti-HEV prevalence with a moderate spread of HIV infection and AIDS. In Russia, 13 out of 117 HIV-infected patients (11.1%) were found to be anti-HEV seropositive. This differed significantly from the frequency observed in the normal population (1.7%) but not from the frequency in a matching control, high-risk group consisting of male prisoners (8.0%). No difference in the frequency of anti-HEV IgG seropositivity was found between groups of HIV-infected men subdivided by sexual orientation. The rate of anti-HEV seropositivity increased with the progression of HIV infection, reaching 43.3% in AIDS patients and 38.1% in those who died from AIDS. In Belarus, anti-HEV IgG seropositivity was not found among 20 HIV-infected subjects nor among individuals from the control risk group, which consisted of 25 intravenous drug users. In conclusion, HEV infection may have common transmission mechanisms (risk factors) with HIV infection rather than represent an additional opportunistic infection in AIDS.
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PMID:Antibody to hepatitis E virus in HIV-infected individuals and AIDS patients. 927 26

Currently, six distinct types of hepatitis virus have been identified: A, B, C, D, E, and G. Hepatitis A virus infection does not cause a chronic carrier state, and perinatal transmission is extremely uncommon. Hepatitis B can be transmitted perinatally, but immunization of the newborn with hepatitis B immune globulin and hepatitis B vaccine markedly reduces the risk of neonatal infection. Hepatitis D virus is dependent on coinfection with the hepatitis B virus for replication. Immunoprophylaxis against hepatitis B also is effective against hepatitis D. Hepatitis C virus is primarily transmitted by the parenteral route and is particularly likely to cause chronic liver disease. Perinatal transmission of hepatitis C principally occurs in women who have high titers of HCV-RNA or who are coinfected with human immunodeficiency virus. At this time, no immunoprophylaxis for hepatitis C is available. Hepatitis G, a recently described organism, is related to hepatitis C. Its clinical significance remains undetermined. Hepatitis E is transmitted in a manner similar to hepatitis A. Perinatal transmission is unusual, but maternal disease is often severe.
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PMID:Hepatitis in pregnancy. 973 92

Of 200 voluntary blood donors screened for hepatitis E virus (HEV) RNA, employing the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), three were found to be positive (1.5%). None of the HEV RNA-positive blood donors had any symptoms at the time of blood donation or during subsequent follow-up. One donor was positive for immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies to HEV, with a raised serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level, whereas the other two donors were negative for both immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgM antibodies to HEV. Follow-up blood samples collected 2-5 months later from HEV RNA-positive blood donors demonstrated the presence of IgG anti-HEV antibodies. Overall seroprevalence of IgG anti-HEV was 18.6%. Retrospective studies on samples collected from commercial blood donors and haemophiliacs revealed IgG anti-HEV positivity to be 24. 6% (46/191) and 24.4% (22/90) and statistically not different (P>0. 1) from the prevalence among voluntary blood donors and an age-matched normal population, respectively. However, a highly significant proportion of the paid plasma donors, with a high prevalence of IgG antibodies to human immunodeficiency virus and hepatitis C virus, were positive for IgG antibodies to HEV (54/71, 76%, P<0.001), indicating a possible role of blood-derived HEV in the transmission of the virus among plasma donors. These results demonstrate the possible risk of transfusion-associated hepatitis E in hyperendemic areas.
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PMID:Hepatitis E virus: can it be transmitted parenterally? 1060 28

The objectives of this study were to investigate the prevalence of infections with hepatotrophic viruses in an anti-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive population from Buenos Aires and to compare it among the main risk groups for HIV infection. Four hundred and eighty-four consecutive patients attending the HIV outpatients clinic were studied: 359 men and 125 women, median age 29 years (range 16-67 years); 35.5% had presented acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)-defining conditions. Two hundred and thirty-four patients were intravenous drug users (IVDU), 99 had homosexual and 142 heterosexual preference, seven had received blood transfusions and two had no risk factors. Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), and antibodies to hepatitis B core antigen (HBcAb) and to hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV) were investigated in all patients; antibodies to HBsAg (HBsAb) and IgG antibodies to hepatitis D virus (anti-HDV) in all HBcAb-positive patients; hepatitis B e antigen and antibodies to HBeAg (HBeAg) in all HBsAg-positive patients; IgG antibodies to hepatitis A virus (anti-HAV) in the first 307 patients; and IgG antibodies to hepatitis E virus (anti-HEV) in the first 91 patients. As control groups, contemporary voluntary blood donors were studied for prevalence of HAV, HBV, HCV and HEV. The percentages of HBcAb, HBsAg, anti-HCV and anti-HEV (58.5, 14.5, 58.5 and 6.6%, respectively) were significantly higher in anti-HIV-positive patients than in control groups (3.2, 0.5, 1.0 and 1.8%, respectively) (P = 0.000). The prevalence of HBcAb was significantly higher in IVDU (72.6%) than in heterosexuals (33.8%) (P = 0.0001) and in homosexuals (59.6%) (P = 0.0189). The percentage of HBsAg was significantly higher in IVDU (19.2%) than in heterosexuals (6.3%) (P = 0.0004). Anti-HCV was significantly higher in IVDU (92.3%) than in homosexuals (14.1%) and in heterosexuals (33.1%) (P = 0.000 in both cases). The prevalence of anti-HDV was relatively low (1.9%). There was no difference in the percentage of anti-HAV between HIV-positive and negative subjects. In conclusion, there is a high prevalence of HBV and HCV infections in HIV-positive patients from our area. Drug use is the main route of transmission, but prevalence of HCV in patients with, probably, sexually acquired HIV infection is also higher than in the control group. The increased prevalence of HEV infection in HIV-positive individuals is another provocative finding that warrants further study.
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PMID:Prevalence of hepatitis viruses in an anti-human immunodeficiency virus-positive population from Argentina. A multicentre study. 1084 30

The seroprevalence of anti-hepatitis E virus (HEV) antibodies was investigated by enzyme immunoassay in 205 volunteer blood donors, 214 women who attended a center for anonymous testing for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, and 170 hospital employees in Campinas, a city in southeastern Brazil. The prevalence of anti-HEV antibodies ranged from 2.6% (3 of 117) in health care professionals to 17.7% (38 of 214) in women who considered themselves at risk for HIV. The prevalence of anti-HEV antibodies in health care professionals was not significantly different from that in healthy blood donors (3.0%, 5 of 165) and blood donors with raised alanine aminotransferase levels (7.5%, 3 of 40). The prevalence of anti-HEV antibodies (13.2%, 7 of 53) in cleaning service workers at a University hospital was similar to that among women at risk for HIV infection. These results suggest that HEV is circulating in southeastern Brazil and that low socioeconomic status is an important risk factor for HEV infection in this region.
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PMID:Hepatitis E virus immunoglobulin G antibodies in different populations in Campinas, Brazil. 1097 60

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a RNA virus transmitted enterically. A study of anti-HEV antibodies in 145 human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infected subjects found that 14.4% of them were reactive to anti-HEV antibodies. Anti-HEV IgG and anti-HEV IgM was detected in 10.3% and 4.1% of the subjects respectively. Prevalence of anti-HEV (either IgG or IgM) was similar across all adult ages (p = 0.154), between the three ethnic groups (p = 0.378), and across risk groups (p = 0.120). The results showed that HEV infection in subjects recruited in this study was most likely transmitted via faecal-route.
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PMID:A seroprevalence study of viral hepatitis E infection in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 infected subjects in Malaysia. 1107 92


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