Epidemiology and Molecular Detection of HAV, HBV, and HCV in Patients with Acute Hepatitis Symptoms in Ahvaz

Viral hepatitis has emerged as a major public health problem leading to disproportionate degrees of morbidity and mortality worldwide.
This study describes epidemiology of hepatitis A virus (HAV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), and hepatitis C virus (HCV), and associated risk factors in patients with acute hepatitis symptoms in southwest of Iran (Ahvaz).
A total of 150 serum samples from patients with elevated serum aminotransferase levels were subjected to serological and molecular assays.
The sero-prevalence of HAV, HBV, and HCV was 79.3%. Furthermore, HAV, HBV, and HCV nucleic acids were detected in 28%, 18.7%, and 22.7% of samples, respectively. All HAV cases were categorized in the IB genotype and HBV isolates belonged to genotype D. Hepatitis C virus RNA-positive samples were clustered in genotypes 1a (38.3%) and 3a (61.7%). The authors found that some risk factors, such tattooing and traveling to endemic areas, had a crucial role in rising of viral hepatitis frequency in Ahvaz city.
These results document the prevalence of circulating viral hepatitis in Ahvaz city and may draw attention to the necessity for a comprehensive program to control viral hepatitis in this region.