Serological study of viral hepatitis

Introduction: Viral hepatitis is caused by hepatotropic virus like hepatitis A, B, C, D, E and G. Viral hepatitis is a major public health problem in India, which is hyperendemic for HAV and HEV. The present study titled ‘serological study of viral hepatitis’ is undertaken to detect the rate of different hepatitis viral infections, also to identify coexistence of any of these viral hepatitis and an attempt is also made to detect the presence of other hepatitis B virus markers which would help in understanding the prognosis of hepatitis. Material and Methods: Serum samples were tested for detection of hepatitis A IgM, hepatitis B surface antigen, hepatitis C antibody and hepatitis E IgM antibody using specific ELISA kits. For patients showing positive results to HBsAg tests further markers like anti-HBs, HBeAg and anti-HBc were detected by ELISA. Results: A total of 2760 samples were screened for the presence of HAV, HBV, HCV and HEV. And seropositivity was detected. 67 cases were positive for HBsAg (2.7%), 12 for hepatitis A (35.5%), 2 each were positive for hepatitis C (0.69%) and hepatitis E (17%) respectively. Of 2760 patients tested, 2 co-infections occurred HAV along with HBV and HAV with HEV. Conclusion: In this study a total of 2760 cases were screened for viral hepatitis infections. The patients showed positivity to HAV, HBsAg, HCV, HEV and some of the HBV markers. And some co infections were also seen. It is important to diagnose viral hepatitis to limit the spread of this contagious disease. This is particularly important in the routine testing of potential blood donors. Keywords Hepatitis, ELISA, Seroprevalence, Diagnosis.