Seroprevalence of HBV and HCV in female sex workers from four cities in the state of Pará, northern Brazil

Female sex workers (FSWs) represent a high vulnerability group for the acquisition of sexual and parenteral infections such as hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections. The present study aimed to determine the prevalence of serological markers and risk factors associated with exposure to HBV and HCV among FSWs in the state of Pará, Brazil. A cross-sectional study using principles of the time location sampling (TLS) method was conducted in four cities (Belém, Bragança, Barcarena, and Augusto Corrêa) of the state of Pará, from 2005 to 2006. In total, 365 FSWs were interviewed using a standardized questionnaire. Blood samples were collected and tested for serological markers of exposure to HBV and HCV using an enzyme immunoassay. The overall prevalence of exposure to HBV and HCV was 36.7% and 7.7%, respectively. The prevalence of surface antigen of HBV was 3.0%. The prevalence of anti-HBc and anti-HBc+ anti-HBs antibodies were 6.3% and 27.4%. Very few (4.7%) FSWs had vaccine immunity against HBV (anti-HBs antibodies only). The prevalence of anti-HCV antibodies was 7.7%. Low monthly income, drug usage, and unprotected sex were some of the social characteristics associated with exposure to the viruses using different analysis. The seroprevalence of HBV and HCV infections among FSWs in four cities of the state of Pará is high when compared to the general population of Brazil, but similar to those found in FSWs in other nondeveloped countries. The prevalence of HBV was higher in Belém, while the prevalence of HCV was higher in the other three cities, highlighting the importance of establishing control and prevention programs to reduce the risk of acquiring these viruses in Pará.

Molecular characterization of human T-cell lymphotropic virus coinfecting human immunodeficiency virus 1 infected patients in the Amazon region of Brazil

The present work evaluated the epidemiology of human immunodeficiency virus 1/human T-cell lymphotropic virus (HIV-1/HTLV) coinfection in patients living in Belém (state of Pará) and Macapá (state of Amapá), two cities located in the Amazon region of Brazil. A total of 169 blood samples were collected. The sera were tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to determine the presence of antibodies anti-HTLV-1/2. Confirmation of infection and discrimination of HTLV types and subtypes was performed using a nested polymerase chain reaction targeting the pX and 5' LTR regions, followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism and sequencing analysis. The presence of anti-HTLV1/2 was detected in six patients from Belém. The amplification of the pX region followed by RFLP analysis, demonstrated the presence of HTLV-1 and HTLV-2 infections among two and four patients, respectively. Sequencing HTLV-1 5' LTR indicated that the virus is a member of the Cosmopolitan Group, Transcontinental subgroup. HTLV-2 strains isolated revealed a molecular profile of subtype HTLV-2c. These results are a reflex of the epidemiological features of HIV-1/HTLV-1/2 coinfection in the North region of Brazil, which is distinct from other Brazilian regions, as reported by previous studies.