RESUMO
Little is known about the prevalence of infection with hepatitis viruses in Belize, Central America. We conducted a serological survey among members of the Belize Defence Force (BDF), which comprises the five major ethnic groups in Belize, in order to estimate the prevalence of hepatitis A and B among men and women of military age in Belize. Of approximately 600 men and women in the BDF, 394 (66 per cent) volunteered to participate. Antibody to hepatitis A was found in 95 per cent with similar rates by age, rank and ethnicity. Antibody to hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc) was found in 31 per cent. The prevalence of anti-HBc varied significantly among the ethnic groups, with the lowest rates in Mayan Indians (5 per cent) and Mestizo (7 per cent), with significantly higher rates among Creoles (30 per cent) and Garifuna (54 per cent). Rates increased with increasing age from 25 per cent in those 18 - 24 years to 35 per cent in those over 35 years of age (p = 0.6, chi-square for trend). Hepatitis B surface antigen was found in 15 (4 per cent) overall. Rates of hepatitis A and B antibodies among 70 military recruits (mean age 20 years) were similar to those among regular forces; anti-HAV was found in 91 per cent, anti-HBc in 34 per cent, and HBsAg in 6 per cent. In this young healthy population, exposure to hepatitis A before the age of 18 years is almost universal, while exposure to hepatitis B is related to age and ethnicity (AU)
Assuntos
Humanos , Masculino , Feminino , Adolescente , Adulto , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Hepatite B/epidemiologia , Hepatite A/epidemiologia , Anticorpos Anti-Hepatite B , Fatores Etários , BelizeRESUMO
PIP: To evaluate the epidemiologic significance of breastfeeding to the transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in a country with a high prevalence of HIV infection, the 1720 seronegative women who delivered at the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka, Zambia, in a 3- month period in 1987 were enrolled in a longitudinal study. Only 634 (37%) of these women returned for testing at the 1-year follow-up point. Of these, 19 (3%) had become seropositive. The infection was asymptomatic in all 19 women at the time of the 1-year follow-up; however, 5 of these women soon developed generalized persistent adenopathy and 3 had spontaneous abortions during the year in which seroconversion occurred. 30 of the spouses of the women in the study sample were HIV-positive; the relative risk of seroconversion was 3.84 in women with HIV-infected spouses compared to those with HIV-negative spouses. Other significant risk factors for HIV seroconversion included: history of genital ulceration after delivery (relative risk, 15.51), use of a cloth to remove vaginal secretions during intercourse (dry sex) (relative risk, 37.95), and blood transfusion (relative risk, 10.89). 3 infants born to these 19 women also seroconverted; 2 years after seroconversion, only 1 of the 3 infected children was symptomatic (persistent, generalized lymphadenopathy). Other sources of HIV infection 9e.g., scarification, blood transfusions, use of contaminated needles during immunization) aside from breastfeeding were not recorded in these 3 infants. Although there is a high prevalence of HIV infection in Zambia, the health benefits of breastfeeding (in terms of the prevention of mortality from diarrheal disease) still outweigh the small risk of HIV transmission.^ieng
Assuntos
Síndrome da Imunodeficiência Adquirida/transmissão , Aleitamento Materno , HIV-1/isolamento & purificação , Síndrome da Imunodeficiência Adquirida/epidemiologia , Síndrome da Imunodeficiência Adquirida/etiologia , Adulto , Métodos Epidemiológicos , Feminino , Sangue Fetal/microbiologia , Seguimentos , Humanos , Recém-Nascido , Gravidez , Fatores de Risco , Reação Transfusional , ZâmbiaRESUMO
The antibiotic sensitivity of 113 strains of N. gonorrhoeae collected in Kingston and Montego Bay in 1978 was compared to that of 26 strains collected in Kingston in 1971. In 1971, 38 percent of the gonococcal isolates in Jamaica grew in the presence of >0.25 æg/ml of penicillin (0.4 units) compared to only 8.9 percent in 1978. A similar decrease in the level of tetracycline resistance (MIC>1.0 æg/ml) was also seen from 1971, when 31 percent of gonococcal isolates were resistant, to 1977 when only 13.4 percent were resistant. The percentage of antibiotic resistance of strains of N. gonorrhoeae in Jamaica was higher than were contemporary isolates from the United States in both 1971 and 1978. The level of penicillin and tetracycline resistance of the 1978 strains were less than those of the 1971 strains, but were higher as a group than contemporary gonococci isolated in the United States (AU)