HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Pina, S. Articles by Girones, R. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Pina, S. Articles by Girones, R. Agricola Articles by Pina, S. Articles by Girones, R.

Genetic analysis of hepatitis A virus strains recovered from the environment and from patients with acute hepatitis

Department of Microbiology, University of Barcelona, Avd. Diagonal 645, 08028 Barcelona, Spain¹
Liver Unit² and Department of Biochemistry³, Hospital General Universitario Valle Hebron, 08035 Barcelona, Spain

Author for correspondence: Rosina Girones. Fax +34 93 411 05 92. e-mail rosina{at}bio.ub.es

The molecular epidemiology of hepatitis A virus (HAV) was studied by analysing HAV strains recovered from environmental water samples over a 7 year period and strains recovered from patients with acute hepatitis over a 5 year period. A total of 54 samples of raw domestic sewage and 66 samples of river water were collected. HAV particles were concentrated and detected by nested RT–PCR. HAV infection in patients with acute hepatitis was serologically diagnosed in 26 of 74 serum samples, which were also analysed by nested RT–PCR. HAV RNA was detected in 57·4% of sewage samples, 39·2% of Llobregat river water samples, 20% of Ter river water samples and 61·6% of serum samples. The HAV genomes detected were characterized further by directly sequencing a region of the 5' non-translated region, the VP1/2A junction region and, in some samples, the 2B region. Results showed a 95% prevalence of genotype I, with nearly 50% being either subgenotype IA or subgenotype IB. Various strains were found simultaneously in both environmental and clinical samples. These strains were closely related to those described in distant geographical areas. Genotype IIIA was also found in 5% of sewage samples and in 12·5% of serum samples. Strains belonging to a common endemic genotype were not identified. The abundance of HAV in the environment produces a situation of sanitary risk, especially considering the low prevalence of antibodies in the young population.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				J. Rodriguez-Diaz, L. Querales, L. Caraballo, E. Vizzi, F. Liprandi, H. Takiff, and W. Q. Betancourt Detection and Characterization of Waterborne Gastroenteritis Viruses in Urban Sewage and Sewage-Polluted River Waters in Caracas, Venezuela Appl. Envir. Microbiol., January 15, 2009; 75(2): 387 - 394. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				O. V. Nainan, G. Xia, G. Vaughan, and H. S. Margolis Diagnosis of Hepatitis A Virus Infection: a Molecular Approach Clin. Microbiol. Rev., January 1, 2006; 19(1): 63 - 79. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K. Stene-Johansen, T. O. Jonassen, and K. Skaug Characterization and genetic variability of Hepatitis A virus genotype IIIA J. Gen. Virol., October 1, 2005; 86(10): 2739 - 2745. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. Lu, K. Z. Ching, V. S. de Paula, T. Nakano, G. Siegl, M. Weitz, and B. H. Robertson Characterization of the complete genomic sequence of genotype II hepatitis A virus (CF53/Berne isolate) J. Gen. Virol., October 1, 2004; 85(10): 2943 - 2952. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. Costa-Mattioli, A. D. Napoli, V. Ferre, S. Billaudel, R. Perez-Bercoff, and J. Cristina Genetic variability of hepatitis A virus J. Gen. Virol., December 1, 2003; 84(12): 3191 - 3201. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Nadan, J. E. Walter, W. O. K. Grabow, D. K. Mitchell, and M. B. Taylor Molecular Characterization of Astroviruses by Reverse Transcriptase PCR and Sequence Analysis: Comparison of Clinical and Environmental Isolates from South Africa Appl. Envir. Microbiol., February 1, 2003; 69(2): 747 - 753. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. Formiga-Cruz, G. Tofino-Quesada, S. Bofill-Mas, D. N. Lees, K. Henshilwood, A. K. Allard, A.-C. Conden-Hansson, B. E. Hernroth, A. Vantarakis, A. Tsibouxi, et al. Distribution of Human Virus Contamination in Shellfish from Different Growing Areas in Greece, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom Appl. Envir. Microbiol., December 1, 2002; 68(12): 5990 - 5998. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. Costa-Mattioli, J. Cristina, H. Romero, R. Perez-Bercof, D. Casane, R. Colina, L. Garcia, I. Vega, G. Glikman, V. Romanowsky, et al. Molecular Evolution of Hepatitis A Virus: a New Classification Based on the Complete VP1 Protein J. Virol., August 12, 2002; 76(18): 9516 - 9525. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]