“
“We analyzed paired pre- and post-travel sera in a cohort of Australian travelers to Asia and demonstrated the acquisition of hepatitis C virus (HCV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. The incidence density in nonimmune travelers for HCV infection was calculated as 1.8 infections per 10,000 traveler-days

and for HBV infection 2.19 per 10,000 traveler-days. Worldwide, the number of international travelers has risen dramatically from 435 million in 1990 to 940 million in 2010.[1] Many travelers to highly endemic countries are at risk of acquiring hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. find more No previous study has quantified the risk of HBV or HCV acquisition in Australian travelers. The estimated monthly incidence of HBV infections for expatriates in endemic countries is 25 per 100,000 for symptomatic infections, and 80 to 420 per 100,000 for both symptomatic and asymptomatic infections.[2] The incidence for short-term travelers is presumed to be lower.[2, 3] A recent study of Danish travelers (62% of cases traveling KU-60019 clinical trial for less than 4 weeks) demonstrated that the monthly incidence for HBV was 10.2 per 100,000 travelers.[3]

Case reports of HCV infection in travelers have been reported following hospitalization abroad.[4, 5] However, the incidence of HCV in travelers is unknown. To determine the incidence of HBV and HCV in next Australian travelers to Asia, we performed a retrospective analysis of a cohort of 361 Australian travelers to Asia. Australian residents traveling to Asia for more than 7 days were enrolled

in a multicenter cohort study over a 32-month period as part of a study to determine the incidence of dengue infection.[6] Blood samples were taken prior to travel and on return. Serological assays were performed using the AxSYM Architect I2000SR analyzer and ARCHITECT anti-HBs, anti-HBc, anti-HBe, HBeAg, HBsAg, and anti-HCV assays (Abbott Diagnostics, Chicago, IL, USA). HBV polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed on all samples using forward (5′-GGATGTGTCTGCGGCGTTTTATC-3′) and reverse (5′-CAAATGGCACTAGTAAACTGAGCC-3′) primers from a conserved region of the S gene.[7] HCV RNA was tested by qualitative reverse-transcription PCR (COBAS AMPLICOR, Roche, Sydney, Australia) only on pre- and post-sera of travelers with serological evidence of HCV. Seroconversion was defined as a change from antibody negative (pre-travel specimen) to antibody positive (post-travel specimen). A pre- and post-travel questionnaire was used to collect data on: gender, birth date, nationality, destination(s), duration, reason for travel, symptoms while abroad, and previous travel. The questionnaires did not collect information associated with blood-borne virus exposure. HBV and HCV infection were calculated as incidence densities representing the number of new infections per 10,000 traveler-days.