SEROEPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDIES OF HEPATITIS VIRUSES IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC II.

THE PREVALENCE OF HEPATITIS D AND E VIRUS INFECTIONS

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A total of 841 serum samples collected and stored at the Center of Gastroenterological Disease, Aybar Hospital, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic were tested for antibodies against hepatitis E virus (anti-HEV). Sera of 60 hepatitis B virus (HBV) asymptomatic carriers selected from 2, 000 apparently healthy individuals in the Dominican Republic were tested for antibodies against hepatitis D virus (anti-HDV). The study demonstrated that the prevalence of anti-HEV was 19.0% in individuals under 15 years of age as compared with the lower prevalence of 4.5% in individuals older than 16 years. The prevalence of anti-HDV in HBV carriers was 6.7%, demonstrating that HDV and HEV are prevailing in this country