INTRODUCTION The collection of recyclable waste materials is a widespread activity among the urban poor. Today, this occupation attracts an increasingly large number of individuals. Despite its economic and environmental importance, this activity is associated with unsafe and unhealthy working conditions. The aim of this study was to investigate the seroepidemiological profile of hepatitis B vi...

One of the best reliable markers of hepatitis B virus infection is antibodies to the core antigen (Anti-HBc). A first-time blood donor with HBsAg positivity was identified as an HBV carrier that was anti-HBc negative. The patient was followed for 24 months in order to investigate the evolution of his HBV serological profiles and HBVDNA (PCR). In the follow-up for 24 months, HBsAg, HBeAg and HBV...

Blood samples from 9,215 blood donors in three U.K. centres (North London, Bristol and Manchester) were tested for their alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level and the presence of anti-HBc and anti-HCV. This paper presents the results of the ALT and anti-HBc tests. The prevalence of ALT > 45 IU/l was 3.1% overall (North London 3.06%, Bristol 4.56% and Manchester 1.97%). Manchester results were sk...

BACKGROUND Occult hepatitis B infection (OBI) is a form of hepatitis in which there is an absence of detectable HBsAg, despite the presence of HBV-DNA in the peripheral blood of patients. It seems that non-effective or attenuated immune system responses against HBV lead to the development of OBI. Previous studies showed that the Fas/Fas ligand (FasL) system is an important death signaling pathw...

In a study of 497 injection drug users who had isolated presence of antibody to hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc) at the time of enrollment, 404 (81%) retained this condition after a mean of 49 months of follow-up, during which time no new hepatitis B surface antigen marker was detected. These findings support the hypothesis that patients with isolated presence of anti-HBc have strong resista...

BACKGROUND The prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in Mozambique is one of the highest in the world, though in spite of this the prevalence of occult hepatitis B infection (OBI) is unknown. OBJECTIVES This study was conducted with the aim to investigate the prevalence of OBI and frequency of isolated hepatitis B core antibody (anti-...

OBJECTIVES Health care workers, including dentists, are at the front line for acquiring blood-borne virus infections. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of hepatitis B, hepatitis C and human immunodeficiency viruses among Iranian dentists. MATERIAL AND METHODS The survey included 1628 dental health care workers who attended the 51st annual Congress of the Iranian Dental Associatio...

Hepatitis B and C are important causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. In Brazil, according to the Ministry of Health, about 15% of population is infected by hepatitis B virus (HBV) and less than 1% by hepatitis C virus (HCV). Nevertheless, the age-specific prevalence of HBV and HCV markers remains unknown. This study aimed to determine the seroprevalence of HBV and HCV markers of infecti...

OBJECTIVES A cross-sectional study on prevalence of HBV and HDV infection, risk factors and genotype distribution of HBV infection was conducted among 848 HIV-infected patients in Mato Grosso do Sul, Central Brazil. METHODS Serum samples of 848 participants were tested for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), hepatitis B core antibody (anti-HBc) and hepatitis surface antibody (anti-HBs). HBsA...