Seroepidemiology of Infection with Hepatitis A and B Viruses in an Isolated Pacific Population

Abstract

To determine the prevalence of infection with hepatitis A virus and hepatitis B virus in an isolated population, samples of serum were collected from 574 healthy subjects living on the remote Pacific Island of Funafuti. Each specimen was tested for antibody to hepatitis A virus, hepatitis B surface antigen, and antibody to hepatitis B surface antigen by solid-phase radioimmunoassay. Overall, 79.8% of the population showed evidence of previous infection with hepatitis A virus, and 72.5% with hepatitis B virus; the high prevalence of antibody to both viruses in young adults suggested that the majority of infections were acquired in the first decade of life. Although it is known that hepatitis B virus maintains itself in isolated populations through a reservoir of chronic carriers, the reason for the persistently high rate of infection with hepatitis A virus is unknown.

Impact of Routine Hepatitis B Immunization on the Prevalence of Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection in the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia

“…Prevalence of HBsAg positivity was lower among mothers in Pohnpei (4%) than in RMI and Chuuk (9%) and lower than that reported previously among adults in other Pacific Islands countries. [3][4][5] The Pacific Islands are geographically distant from one another and it is plausible that, historically, HBV endemicity varied across the Pacific. Although the prevalence of chronic infection among children was low in all 3 sites, the prevalence of resolved HBV infection was almost 3-fold higher in Chuuk compared with Pohnpei and RMI (16% vs. 5%).…”

“…HBV-associated liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma are leading causes of death in these populations. [1][2][3][4][5][6] In these and other settings of high endemicity, perinatal and early childhood infections play a central role in maintaining the cycle of HBV transmission. Approximately 90% of infants and young children who become infected with HBV remain chronically infected.…”

Bacterial Coinfections in Lung Tissue Specimens from Fatal Cases of 2009 Pandemic Influenza A (H1N1) – United States, May–August 2009

“…[3][4][5] The Pacific Islands are geographically distant from one another and it is plausible that, historically, HBV endemicity varied across the Pacific. Prevalence of HBsAg positivity was lower among mothers in Pohnpei (4%) than in RMI and Chuuk (9%) and lower than that reported previously among adults in other Pacific Islands countries.…”

“…[1][2][3][4][5][6] In these and other settings of high endemicity, perinatal and early childhood infections play a central role in maintaining the cycle of HBV transmission. HBV-associated liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma are leading causes of death in these populations.…”

Linking ecological immunology and evolutionary medicine: the case for apolipoprotein E

“…Both HBV and HCV can be transmitted vertically (Michielsen & Van Damme 1999), are found at highest frequencies in developing countries (Mandeville et al 2009) and have been documented in relatively isolated human tribes and primate populations (Gust et al 1979;Noppornpanth et al 2003). These features suggest that HVB and HVC may have been particularly common challenges to ancestral human populations and modern tribes, where apoE4 frequencies are considerably higher.…”