Prevalence of infection with hepatitis C virus in Venezuela, as assessed with an immuno-assay based on synthetic peptides

REFERENCES

• Alter, M. J., Kruszon-Moran, D., Nainan, O. V., McQuillan, G. M., Gao, F., Moyer, L. A., Kaslow, R. A. & Margolis, H. S. (1999). The prevalence of hepatitis C virus infection in the United States, 1988 through 1994. New England Journal of Medicine, 341, 556–562.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Anon. (1999). Global surveillance and control of hepatitis C. Journal of Viral Hepatitis, 6, 35–47.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Banic, D. M., Viana Martins, F. S., de Souza, J. M., Peixoto, T. D. & Daniel Ribeiro, C. (1991). Polyclonal B-lymphocyte stimulation in human malaria and its association with ongoing parasitemia. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 44, 571–577.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Blitz, L., Pujol, F. H., Swenson, P. D., Porto, L., Atencio, R., Araujo, M., Costa, L., Callejas-Monsalve, D., Torres, J. R., Fields, H. A., Lambert, S., van Geyt, C., Norder, H., Magnius, L. O., Echevarría, J. M. & Stuyver, L. (1998). Antigenic diversity of hepatitis B virus strains of genotype F in Amerindians and other population groups from Venezuela. Journal of Clinical Microbiology/, 36, 648–651.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Blitz-Dorfman, L., Monsalve, F., Porto, L., Weir, J., Arteaga, M., Padron, G., Leon, P. & Echevarria, J. M. (1994). Epidemiology of hepatitis C virus in western Venezuela: lack of specific antibody in Indian communities. Journal of Medical Virology, 43, 287–290.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Blitz-Dorfman, L., Monsalve, F., Atencio, R., Monzon, M., Favorov, M. O., Fields, H. A., Pujol, F. H. & Echevarría, J. M. (1996). Serological survey of viral hepatitis agents among Yukpa Amerindian populations from western Venezuela. Absence of hepatitis C infection. Annals of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology, 90, 655–657.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Bradley, D. W. (1999). Hepatitis viruses: their role in human cancer. Proceedings of the Association of American Physicians, 11, 1588–1593.
   Google Scholar
• Devesa, M., Khudyakov, Y. E., Capriles, F., Blitz, L., Fields, H. A., Liprandi, F. & Pujol, F. H. (1997). Reduced antibody reactivity to hepatitis C virus antigens in hepatitis B virus co-infected hemodialysis patients. Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology, 4, 639–642.
   PubMedGoogle Scholar
• Devesa, M., de Saez, A., León, G., Sirit, F., Cosson, C., Bermúdez, H., Liprandi, F., Noya, O. & Pujol, F. H. (1999). Restricted isotypic antibody reactivity to hepatitis C virus synthetic peptides in immunocompromised patients. Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology, 6, 279–281.
   PubMedGoogle Scholar
• Echevarría, J. M., Blitz-Dorfman, L. & Pujol, F. H. (1996). Infection by hepatitis virus among the indigenous populations of South America: a review of the problem. Investigacion Clinica, 37, 191–200.
   PubMedGoogle Scholar
• Heintges, T. & Wands, A. R. (1997). Hepatitis C virus: epidemiology and transmission. Hepatology, 26, 521–526.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Hosein, B., Fang, C. T., Popovsky, M. A., Ye, J., Zhang, M. & Wang, C. Y. (1991). Improved serodiagnosis of hepatitis C virus infection with synthetic peptide antigen from capsid protein. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 88, 3647–3651.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Hyams, K. C., Phillips, I. A., Moran, A. Y., Tejada, A., Wignall, F. S. & Escamilla, J. (1992). Seroprevalence of hepatitis C antibody in Peru. Journal of Medical Virology, 37, 127–131.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Khudyakov, Y. E., Khudyakova, N. S., Jue, D. L., Lambert, S. B., Fang, S. & Fields, H. A. (1995). Linear B-cell epitopes of the NS3-NS4-NS5 proteins of the hepatitis C virus as modeled with synthetic peptides. Virology, 206, 666–672.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Logombardo, G., Ferri, C, Marchi, S., Costa, F., Lombardini, F., Vacri, L., Bombardieri, S. & Migliorini, P. (1998). Immune response to an epitope of the NS4 protein of hepatitis C virus in HCV-related disorders. Clinical Immunology and Immunopathology, 87, 124–129.
   PubMedGoogle Scholar
• Oubiña, J., Quarleri, J., Rudzinski, M., Parks, C., Badia, I. & Gonzalez Cappa, S. (1995). Genomic characterization of hepatitis C virus isolates from Argentina. Journal of Medical Virology, 47, 97–104.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Pradat, P. & Trepo, C. (2000). HCV: epidemiology, modes of transmission and prevention of spread. Baillières Best Practice Research in Clinical Gastroenterology, 14, 201–210.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Pujol, F. H., Loureiro, C. L., Devesa, M., Blitz, L., Parka, K., Beker, S. & Liprandi, F. (1997). Determination of hepatitis C virus genotypes in Venezuela by restriction fragment length polymorphism. Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 35, 1870–1872.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Reina-San-Martín, B., Cosson, A. & Minoprio, P. (2000). Lymphocyte polyclonal activation: a pitfall for vaccine design against infectious agents. Parasitology Today, 16, 62–67.
   PubMedGoogle Scholar
• Robinson, J. W., Rosas, M., Guzman, F., Patarroyo, M. E. & Moreno, A. (1996). Comparison of prevalence of anti-hepatitis C virus antibodies in different South American populations. Journal of Medical Virology, 50, 188–192.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Roggendorf, M., Lu, M., Meisel, H., Riffelmann, M., Schreier, E. & Viazov, S. (1996). Rational use of diagnostic tools in hepatitis C. Journal of Hepatology, 24 (Suppl. 2), 26–34.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Silva, L., Parana, R., Mota, E., Cotrim, H. P., Boennec-McCurtey, M. L,. Vitvitinsky, L., Padua, A., Trepo, C. & Lyra, L. (1995). Prevalence of hepatitis C virus in urban and rural populations of northeast Brazil—pilot study. Arquivos de Gastroenterologia, 32, 168–171.
   PubMedGoogle Scholar
• Souto, F. J., Fontes, C. J., Gaspar, A. M., Parana, R. & Lyra, L. G. (1996). Concomitant high prevalence of hepatitis C virus antibodies and hepatitis B virus markers in a small village of the Amazon region, Mato Grosso state, Brazil. Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo, 38, 221–223.
   PubMedGoogle Scholar
• Souto, F. J., Fontes, C. J., Martelli, C. M., Turchi, M. D., Martins, R. M. & Andrade, A. L. (1999). Hepatitis C virus prevalence among an immigrant community to the southern Amazon, Brazil. Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, 94, 719–723.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Talarmin, A., Kazanji, M., Cardoso, T., Pouliquen, J.-F., Sankale-Suzanon, J. & Sarthou, J.-L. (1997). Prevalence of antibodies to hepatitis A, C, and E viruses in different groups in French Guiana. Journal of Medical Virology, 52, 430–435.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Torres, J. R. (1996). Hepatitis B and hepatitis delta virus infection in South America. Gut, 38 (Suppl. 2), S48–S55.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Wasley, A. & Alter, M. J. (2000). Epidemiology of hepatitis C: geographic differences and temporal trends. Seminars in Liver Diseases, 20, 1–16.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Wienhues, U., Ihlenfeldt, H.-G., Seidel, C., Schmitt, U., Kraas, W. & Jung, G. (1998). Characterization of a linear epitope in the nonstructural region 4 of hepatitis C virus with reactivity to seroconversion antibodies. Virology, 245, 281–288.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar