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Journal of Clinical Microbiology, April 2001, p. 1536-1539, Vol. 39, No. 4
0095-1137/01/$04.00+0   DOI: 10.1128/JCM.39.4.1536-1539.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Molecular Characteristic-Based Epidemiology of Hepatitis B, C, and E Viruses and GB Virus C/Hepatitis G Virus in Myanmar

Kazuhiko Nakai,1,2 Khin Maung Win,3 San San Oo,4 Yasuyuki Arakawa,2 and Kenji Abe1,*

Department of Pathology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases,1 and 3rd Department of Internal Medicine, Nihon University School of Medicine,2 Tokyo, Japan, and Department of Hepatology, Yangon General Hospital,3 and Department of Medical Research,4 Yangon, Myanmar

Received 28 August 2000/Returned for modification 8 January 2001/Accepted 6 February 2001

We carried out a molecular characteristic-based epidemiological survey of various hepatitis viruses, including hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), hepatitis E virus (HEV), and GB virus C (GBV-C)/hepatitis G virus (HGV), in Myanmar. The study population of 403 subjects consisted of 213 healthy individuals residing in the city of Yangon, Myanmar, and the surrounding suburbs and 190 liver disease patients (155 virus-related liver disease patients and 35 nonviral disease patients). The infection rates of the viruses among the 213 healthy subjects were as follows: 8% for HBV (16 patients), 2% for HCV (4 patients), and 8% for GBV-C/HGV (17 patients). In contrast, for 155 patients with acute hepatitis, chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, or hepatocellular carcinoma, the infection rates were 30% for HBV (46 patients), 27% for HCV (41 patients), and 11% for GBV-C/HGV (17 patients). In the nonviral liver disease group of 35 patients with alcoholic liver disease, fatty liver, liver abscess, and biliary disease, the infection rates were 6% for HBV (2 patients), 20% for HCV (7 patients), and 26% for GBV-C/HGV (9 patients). The most common viral genotypes were type C of HBV (77%), type 3b of HCV (67%), and type 2 of GBV-C/HGV (67%). Moreover, testing for HEV among 371 subjects resulted in the detection of anti-HEV immunoglobulin G (IgG) in 117 patients (32%). The age prevalence of anti-HEV IgG was 3% for patients younger than 20 years and 30% or more for patients 20 years of age or older. Furthermore, a high prevalence of anti-HEV IgG (24%) was also found in swine living together with humans in Yangon. These results suggest that these hepatitis virus infections are widespread in Myanmar and have led to a high incidence of acute and chronic liver disease patients in the region.


* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Pathology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Toyama 1-23-1, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8640, Japan. Phone: (81) 3-5285-1111, ext. 2624. Fax: (81) 3-5285-1189. E-mail: kenjiabe{at}nih.go.jp.


Journal of Clinical Microbiology, April 2001, p. 1536-1539, Vol. 39, No. 4
0095-1137/01/$04.00+0   DOI: 10.1128/JCM.39.4.1536-1539.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.



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