Seroepidemiologic study of antibody to adult T-cell leukemia virus in Okinawa, Japan

From 1980 to 1984, a total of 3,978 serum samples were collected from healthy subjects in the Yaeyama District of Okinawa, Japan. These serum samples were tested for presence of antibody to adult T-cell leukemia-associated antigen (anti-ATLA) by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. Overall prevalence of anti-ATLA was 15.3%. Standardized prevalence differed from island to island: Hateruma Island had the highest (21.2%) and Taketomi Island the lowest (6.2%). Prevalence of anti-ATLA increased with age and was significantly higher in females (18.1%) than in males (12.2%) (p less than 0.001). For subjects younger than 20 years of age, the rate of anti-ATLA in males was slightly higher than that in females. For subjects 20 years of age and over, prevalence was higher in females than in males. In all age groups 40 years and over, prevalence was significantly higher in females than in males.     

Changing pattern of intrafamilial transmission of hepatitis B virus in Okinawa, Japan

To investigate the pattern of intrafamilial spread of hepatitis B virus, the authors conducted a seroepidemiologic survey of nursery school children aged 1-5 years as well as family studies of the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive children found in the survey in 1980 and 1985 in the Yaeyama district of Okinawa, Japan. The data from these family studies were compared with data from the studies conducted in 1968-1980 in the same area. Although the prevalence of HBsAg was not different for 1980 (eight of 847 children, 0.9%) and 1985 (13 of 1,355 children, 1.0%), prevalence of antibody to hepatitis B core antigen was significantly higher in 1980 (3.3%) than in 1985 (1.7%). Families were divided into four groups by the HBsAg status of the parents. In 1968-1980, families in which both parents were HBsAg-negative were most prevalent (64 of 107 families, 59.8%), followed by families in which only the mother was HBsAg-positive (17 of 107 families, 15.9%). In 1980, families in which only the mother was HBsAg-positive were most prevalent (11 of 25 families, 44.0%) and became more prevalent in 1985 (nine of 12 families, 75%). These data suggest that in the area studied, hepatitis B virus infections among children have declined over a five-year period and that mother-to-child transmission may be a main route of intrafamilial transmission in recent years.     

Marked decrease of hepatitis B virus infection among children in Okinawa, Japan

During the period 1980-1989 in Okinawa, Japan, serologic markers of hepatitis B infection (hepatitis B surface antigen; HBsAg, antibody to hepatitis B core antigen; anti-HBc) were investigated in nursery school children (1-4 years of age). Prevalences of HBsAg were 1.1-1.5% in the period from 1980-1984, but decreased to under 1.0% in the period from 1985. In 1989 there were two carriers in nursery schools, both born in 1985 or fathers who were HBsAg carriers. Prevalences of anti-HBc were 3.3-7.1% in the period from 1980-1983 with a decrease to 0.5% by 1988. Since hepatitis B vaccine was available for neonates whose mothers were HBsAg carriers with hepatitis Be antigen (HBeAg) and for nursery school children in 1983, hepatitis B virus infection among nursery school children and HBsAg carriers due to transmission from mother-to-child were markedly reduced. This strategy for immunization is useful in endemic areas. Immunization for children whose fathers are HBsAg carriers may also be necessary.     

Prevalence of antibody to hepatitis C virus in hemodialysis patients.

The prevalence of hepatitis C virus infection in hemodialysis patients in Japan was examined using sera from 418 patients from six dialysis units in 1989. The authors made use of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (Ortho Diagnostics). Antibody to hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV) was detected in 127 patients (30.4%), the frequency varying from 20.0% to 34.9% in different units. The mean prevalence of anti-HCV was 20 times higher than that in blood donors. Anti-HCV positivity was not associated with antibody to hepatitis B core antigen, which was not a surrogate marker for non-A, non-B hepatitis agents in this study. Another striking finding of this study was that 84.3% of the anti-HCV-positive patients had normal liver function. Anti-HCV positivity correlated positively with the number of blood transfusions and increased with the duration of hemodialysis; however, it was 22.1% even in 113 patients never given blood transfusion. Acquisition of hepatitis C virus by dialysis patients is, therefore, not only through blood transfusions but also because of hepatitis C virus present within the unit itself. Liver dysfunction in the anti-HCV-positive patients was rare.     

A seroepidemiologic study of hepatitis A virus infections: statistical analysis of two independent cross-sectional surveys in Okinawa, Japan

To investigate the endemic situation of hepatitis A virus infection in the past in Okinawa, Japan, the authors analyzed two sets of cross-sectional data on age-specific prevalence of antibody to hepatitis A virus (anti-HAV) obtained in 1968-1973 and 1980-1981 by fitting a catalytic model. For these two sets of data, the asymptotic level of infectious force of hepatitis A virus, namely lambda infinity, was estimated as 0.121 and 0.149, the maximum slope of the time-dependent force of hepatitis A infection, namely alpha, was 0.566 and 0.529, and the year when the force of hepatitis A infection had decreased to the half of lambda infinity, namely beta, was 1966 and 1964, respectively. In the test for the equality of parameters for the two applications, the difference was not significant. Furthermore, the fitness of the catalytic model to the data on anti-HAV prevalence was good. The results of the analysis by fitting the catalytic model show that hepatitis A infection had been highly endemic, that is, 136 infections per 1,000 persons per year in the area studied before 1955, and it decreased rapidly during the 1960s. Since 1975, hepatitis A has been a rare disease (infection is almost zero per 1,000 persons per year) in Okinawa, Japan.     

Prevalence of hepatitis A virus antibody among Navajo school children.

Previous studies of the prevalence of immunity to hepatitis A (anti-HAV) in the United States have used urban settings or institutions for the mentally handicapped. In a rural setting among normal children, a serologic investigation of prevalence of anti-HAV was conducted in a boarding school adjacent to the Navajo reservation. The results show rates of anti-HAV that are the highest reported at the ages tested in any subpopulation in the United States, comparable only with those in developing countries.     

A survey on the vaccination practice for perinatal hepatitis B virus infection at a clinic in Okinawa, Japan

The prevalence of hepatitis B (HB) virus carrier mothers and the HB immunization rate at a clinic in Okinawa prefecture were investigated. The prevalence of HB virus carrier mothers during 1981-1985, 1986-1994 and 1995-1997 were 3.5%, 2.3% and 1.1% respectively. According to the national prevention program, passive-active immunoprophylaxis with HB immune globulin (HBIG) and HB vaccine was carried out for 12 infants born to HB virus carrier mothers positive for HBe antigen (high risk infants) and for 24 infants born to carrier mothers negative for HBe antigen (low risk infants) since 1986. The immunization rate of high risk infants and low risk infants were 100.0% and 91.7%, respectively. A follow up system for the prevention program and assessment of vaccination schedule will be necessary to improve HB immunization rate of low risk infants in the future.     

Prevalence of gallstone disease in a general population of Okinawa, Japan

A total of 2,584 healthy residents in the Yaeyama District of Okinawa, Japan, were investigated in 1984 to determine the prevalence of gallstone disease and its associated factors. Diagnosis of gallstone disease was assessed by real-time ultrasonography. For participants over 20 years of age, obesity index and serum levels of total cholesterol and triglycerides were measured. Overall prevalence of gallstone disease was 3.2%. Prevalence increased with age from 0% under 19 years of age to 11.4% over 70 years of age and was higher in females (4.0%) than in males (2.5%). The results of the logistic regression analysis indicated that age and fatty liver were significant predictors of gallstone disease. The results of the automatic interaction detector analysis indicated that age and fatty liver were strong factors associated with gallstone disease and that prevalence was highest in females over age 50 with fatty liver.     

Prevalence of antibody to hepatitis A virus in drinking water workers and wastewater workers in Texas from 1996 to 1997

To determine if wastewater workers had a higher prevalence of antibody to hepatitis A virus (anti-HAV) than drinking water workers, a convenience sample of Texas wastewater and drinking water workers was evaluated for risk factors by questionnaire and tested for anti-HAV. A total of 359 wastewater and 89 drinking water workers participated. Anti-HAV positivity was 28.4% for wastewater and 23.6% for drinking water workers. After adjustment for age, educational attainment, and Hispanic ethnicity, the odds ratio for the association between anti-HAV positivity and wastewater industry employment was 2.0 (95% confidence interval, 1.0 to 3.8). Among wastewater workers, never eating in a lunchroom, > or = 8 years in the wastewater industry, never wearing face protection, and skin contact with sewage at least once per day were all significantly associated with anti-HAV positivity in a model that adjusted for age and educational attainment. Wastewater workers in this study had a higher prevalence of anti-HAV than drinking water workers, which suggested that wastewater workers may have been at increased risk of occupationally acquired hepatitis A. Work practices that expose workers to wastewater may increase their risk.     

Sexual transmission of hepatitis C virus among female prostitutes and patients with sexually transmitted diseases in Fukuoka, Kyushu, Japan.

The authors investigated the prevalence of antibody to hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV) in 404 female prostitutes, 428 clinic patients with a history of at least one episode of sexually transmitted disease, and 8,944 blood donors who served as the controls. All subjects were Japanese, and all studies were carried out in Fukuoka, Kyushu, Japan, in 1989. The prevalence of anti-HCV was significantly higher in the prostitutes (6.2%), in the female patients with sexually transmitted diseases (6.1%), and in the male patients with sexually transmitted diseases (2.9%) than in the controls (1.5%). Prevalence of anti-HCV increased with age in prostitutes and in the controls. The prevalence of anti-HCV in those who had been involved in prostitution for 1 year or more (8.1%) was higher than in those who had been involved in prostitution for less than 1 year (1.4%), but the difference was not statistically significant. One of the 152 anti-HCV negative prostitutes seroconverted between 1 and 2 years later. Among the subjects with sexually transmitted diseases, patients with a history of at least one episode of syphilis had a significantly higher prevalence of anti-HCV (4.4%) than the controls. Patients with acute urethritis and cervicitis also showed a high prevalence of anti-HCV (3.6% and 6.7%, respectively). These data support the possibility of sexual transmission of hepatitis C virus.     

Prevalence of antibody to hepatitis A and polioviruses in an unimmunized urban population.

A large group of sera collected in 1954-1955 from people living in the metropolitan area of Melbourne, Australia, was tested for neutralizing antibody to polioviruses 1,2 and 3 and for antibody to hepatitis A virus by solid phase radioimmunoassay. The age-specific prevalence of antibody to each virus was remarkable similar, being highest in the elderly and in persons of low socioeconomic status. Antibody to each virus was acquired early in life, with more than half the population showing evidence of infection by the age of 15 years.     

Prevalence of antibody to hepatitis A and hepatitis B viruses in selected populations of the South Pacific.

Five island populations representing the three major cultural groups of the South Pacific--Polynesia, Micronesia, Melanesia--were studied for prevalence of antibody to hepatitis A virus (anti-HAV) and of antibody to the core antigen of hepatitis B virus (anti-HBc). Sera were collected in the late 1950s and early 1960s, selected where possible for appropriate age and sex distributions, and were tested by radioimmunoassay. Rather marked differences in prevalence were observed. Anti-HBc patterns confirmed that HBV is endemic in the Pacific populations. Furthermore, the patterns differed somewhat from each other and did not correlate with ethnogeographic area. Prevalence of anti-HAV was high in all populations studied. A Unique pattern was found for the island of Ponape (Micronesia): In a Ponape population bled in 1963, anti-HAV was not detected in any individual under 20 years of age, but almost all individuals over that age were found to be seropositive. On testing a second group of sera collected in 1975, all individuals aged 14--21 years were found to be antibody positive, indicating that HAV had returned to Ponape sometime prior to 1975. There was no significant difference in the prevalence of HAV or HBV infection between males and females in any of the populations studied.     

Age-specific prevalence of hepatitis A virus antibody in Thailand

Serum specimens drawn at random from three geographically defined populations of healthy Thais were tested for antibody to the hepatitis A virus (anti-HAV) by radioimmunoassay. A total of 746 specimens were tested. The age by which 50 per cent were antibody positive was 4-5 years for residents of an urban Bangkok housing project, 8-9 years for rural villagers, and 10-11 years for urban Bangkok government school pupils. Overall, specimens from 97 per cent of Thai adults 16 years of age or older were anti-HAV positive. These data suggest widespread distribution of HAV in Thailand.     

Maternal caffeine intake in pregnancy is inversely related to childhood peer problems in Japan: The Kyushu Okinawa Maternal and Child Health Study

Objectives: The present prebirth cohort study examined the association between maternal caffeine consumption during pregnancy and behavioral problems in Japanese children aged 5 years.

Methods: Subjects were 1199 mother–child pairs. Dietary intake was assessed using a diet history questionnaire. Emotional problems, conduct problems, hyperactivity problems, and peer problems were assessed using the Japanese parent-report version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Adjustment was made for maternal age, gestation at baseline, region of residence at baseline, number of children at baseline, maternal and paternal education, household income, maternal depressive symptoms during pregnancy, maternal alcohol intake during pregnancy, maternal smoking during pregnancy, child’s birth weight, child’s sex, breastfeeding duration, and smoking in the household during the first year of life.

Results: The contributors of caffeine in the diet during pregnancy were Japanese and Chinese tea (74.8%), coffee (13.0%), black tea (4.4%), confectionaries (4.0%), and soft drinks (3.7%). Higher maternal caffeine consumption during pregnancy was independently associated with a reduced risk of peer problems in the children: the adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) in the first, second, third, and fourth quartiles of maternal caffeine consumption during pregnancy were 1 (reference), 0.61 (0.35–1.06), 0.52 (0.29–0.91), and 0.51 (0.28–0.91), respectively (P for trend?=?0.01). Maternal caffeine intake during pregnancy was not evidently related to the risk of emotional problems, conduct problems, or hyperactivity problems in the children.

Conclusions: Maternal caffeine consumption, mainly from Japanese and Chinese tea, during pregnancy may be preventive against peer problems in Japanese children.     

Prevalence of hepatitis B antibody in prostitutes.

The possibility that hepatitis B is transmitted venereally was examined by determining the prevalence of hepatitis B antibody (anti-HB(S)) in populations with different levels of promiscuity. Of 258 prostitutes, 31% were anti-HB(S) positive, compared to 10% of 258 female age-matched blood donors, 10% of 48 nuns living in a convent and 15% of 94 nuns working as teachers. Prevalence of anti-HB(S) increased with increasing age. In the age group 40-49 years up to 72% of prostitutes were anti-HB(S) positive, whereas anti-HB(S) was found in only 23% of blood donors. The correlation of length of the registration period as a prostitute and frequency of venereal diseases to prevalence of anti-HB(S) supported the hypothesis that the agent of hepatitis B was transmitted sexually. This correlation was absent for echovirus type 12 and adenovirus type 10 antibody.     

河南省2012－2014年新报告HIV感染者中HCV抗体流行状况分析

目的 了解河南省2012－2014年新报告HIV感染者中HCV抗体的流行情况。方法 通过艾滋病综合防治数据信息管理系统对河南省2012年7月1日至2014年6月30日新报告的HIV感染者进行信息整理、HIV-1 BED新发感染检测和HCV抗体检测。结果 4 267例新报告HIV感染者中HCV抗体阳性率为13.19%(563/4 267),感染途径为注射吸毒者的HCV抗体阳性率最高(77.27%),采血浆/输血、异性性传播、同性性传播和母婴传播人群的HCV抗体阳性率分别为15.06%、15.81%、3.74%和8.96%。开封(32.04%)、驻马店(25.00%)、商丘(25.00%)、周口(18.86%)和南阳(14.67%)为HCV抗体阳性率最高的前五个省辖市。BED阳性者(HIV新近感染者)中HCV抗体阳性率为7.50%(86/1 146)。多因素logistic回归分析发现:BED阴性、年龄>40岁、农民、HIV感染途径为注射吸毒以及报告地区为开封市、南阳市、商丘市、驻马店市和周口市为HCV感染的危险因素。结论 2012－2014年河南省新报告HIV感染者中HCV抗体流行率有降低的趋势,但是部分地区和重点人群仍存在较高的HCV抗体流行率。     

Shifts in the rates and levels of antibody to hepatitis A virus associated with hepatitis A infection in children's communities

In order to investigate the shift in the rates and levels of antibody to hepatitis A virus, 567 children in 20 isolated groups of five day-care centers were observed over a period of 8 months during which the seasonal rise in hepatitis A morbidity occurs. Increases in the proportion of seropositive ranging from 5 to 37% were demonstrated in 6 groups, and were always associated with the occurrence of either overt or sub-clinical hepatitis A infection. High rates of seropositivity were also noted in the groups in which cases of hepatitis A had been registered prior to the period of observation. In some children with low and medium antibody levels, antibody titres showed further increases after reinfection. A substantial part of children retained low antibody titres during the entire period of observation, and eight previously sero-negative children developed low antibody levels after asymptomatic hepatitis A infections. In one group the spread of hepatitis A infection (clinical and asymptomatic) was prevented by the administration of commercially available immunoglobulin immediately after the discovery of an infected food handler. Passive antibodies were found in previously sero-negative children, and these antibodies dropped to undetectable levels two months after administration.     

Prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen and antibody (hepatitis B virus markers) in personnel at a children's hospital

After two cases of acute hepatitis B infection occurred in phlebotomists at The Hospital for Sick Children in 1985, a seroprevalence survey of hepatitis B virus markers was undertaken. Directors in high-risk areas were advised by phone and memorandum to screen employees. Participation was entirely voluntary, and employees who did not respond were contacted six weeks after initial notification. Information obtained from each participant through a self-administered questionnaire included age, duration of employment in current pediatric occupation, history of blood transfusions, immune globulin prophylaxis, needlestick injury, and country of birth (North America/United Kingdom or other). Sera identified by code were tested by radioimmunoassay. Interactions were analyzed by using a multiple logistic regression model. A total of 10% of the personnel in high-risk areas, in which there was frequent exposure to blood or blood products, had hepatitis B markers in their blood, compared with 2% who did not have this exposure. Birthplace and occupation have independently significant effects on the likelihood of having hepatitis B markers. There appears to be an increased risk to employees in pediatric units, depending on the patient (and parent) population being served, although the risk may be lower than in adult hospitals.