Is Hepatitis Delta infections important in Brazil?

ABSTRACT:

Background

The Hepatitis Delta Virus (HDV) can increase the incidence of fulminant hepatitis. For this infection occurs, the host must also be infected with Hepatitis B Virus. Previous studies demonstrated the endemicity and near exclusivity of this infection in the Amazon region, and as a consequence of the difficulty in accessing this area we used dried blood spots (DBS) in sample collection. The aims of this study were to investigate the presence of recombination, to analyze the epidemiology, ancestry and evolutionary pressures on HDV in Brazil.

Methods

Blood samples from 50 individuals were collected using dried-blood spots (DBS 903, Whatman), and sent via regular mail to Retrovirology Laboratory from Federal University of São Paulo, where the samples were processed. In

SUBMITTER: Cicero MF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5041555 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature