Hepatitis A seroprevalence in Tuscany, Italy

Euro Surveill. 2009 Mar 12;14(10):19146.

Abstract

Information regarding the current seroprevalence of hepatitis A virus (HAV) is useful for the control of HAV infections. The objective of our study was to evaluate the prevalence of anti-HAV antibodies among children (1-5 years old) and young adults (15-20 years old) in Tuscany, in central Italy. A total of 565 sera were collected in three years 1992, 1998 and 2004, equally distributed between the two age groups. The overal proportion of those that tested positive for anti-HAV antibodies was 8.3%. The proportion of immune children (1-5 years old) statistically significantly increased over the years. The percentage of immune subjects among 15-20-year-old young adults varied over the years, not showing a significant statistical trend, nevertheless our findings indicate that in a low endemicity area, adolescents and young adults are becoming increasingly susceptible to HAV infection. On-going monitoring of immunity to HAV is necessary for detecting trends over time.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Female
  • Hepatitis A / blood*
  • Hepatitis A / epidemiology*
  • Hepatitis Antibodies / blood*
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Italy / epidemiology
  • Male
  • Population Surveillance*
  • Prevalence
  • Seroepidemiologic Studies

Substances

  • Hepatitis Antibodies