Prevalence of antibodies against hepatitis a virus among the kuikuro and kaiabi indians of Xingu National Park, Brazil

• Published in: Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo Vol. 49; no. 3; pp. 155 - 157
• Main Authors: LAFER, Manuel Mindiin, DE MORAES-PINTO, Maria Isabel, WECKX, Lily Yin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English; Portuguese
• Published: São Paulo Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo 01.05.2007; Instituto de Medicina Tropical de Sao Paulo; Instituto de Medicina Tropical
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Biological and medical sciences; Brazil - epidemiology; Child; Child, Preschool; Cross-Sectional Studies; Hepatitis A - epidemiology; Hepatitis A - ethnology; Hepatitis A Antibodies - blood; Human viral diseases; Humans; Immunoassay; Indians, South American; Infant; Infectious diseases; Medical sciences; Prevalence; Seroepidemiologic Studies; TROPICAL MEDICINE; Viral diseases; Viral hepatitis; South America; Brazil; America; Amerindian; Human; Prevalence; Hepatitis A virus; Picornaviridae; Antibody; Antibodies; Hepatic disease; Serology; South American Indians; Hepatovirus; Infection; Virus; Viral hepatitis A; Viral disease; Digestive diseases; Tropical medicine; Hepatitis A
• ISSN: 0036-4665; 1678-9946; 1678-9946; 0036-4665
• DOI: 10.1590/S0036-46652007000300004

A seroprevalence study to detect total antibodies against Hepatitis A Virus was done with 220 samples from 589 Native Indians from Xingu National Park, Brazil, in five Kaiabi and Kuikuro villages, the most populous ethnic groups. Using a commercial immunoassay kit we detected 97.7% positive samples (95% Confidence Interval: 95%-99%). We noticed a precocious seroconversion, before the age of six years, when the disease is usually asymptomatic. These results are similar to those found in the literature in non-Indian population studies of the Northern, Northeastern and West Central regions of Brazil. They suggest that it is not necessary to introduce vaccination against Hepatitis A in these highly endemic populations.