Unusual Surge of Acute Hepatitis A Cases in 2016 and 2017 in Malaga, Southern Spain: Characterization and Relationship with Other Concurrent European Outbreaks.

ABSTRACT: We aimed to describe the Hepatitis A virus (HAV) cases that arose in Malaga (Spain) in 2016 and 2017 when the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) reported several outbreaks among men who have sex with men (MSM). Therefore, we conducted a retrospective study gathering demographic, clinical, and immunological data from the acute HAV patients attending our hospital between March 2016 and December 2017. Additionally, VP1/P2A region was amplified from serum samples, sequenced, and genotyped. We finally performed a phylogenetic analysis, including the HAV strains from the other European outbreaks. A total of 184 HAV cases were reported, with the highest number in March 2017. The cohort mostly comprised Spaniards (81.0%), males (84.8%), and MSM (72.3%), with a median age of

SUBMITTER: Bardon De Tena P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10607832 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature