SEROEPIDEMIOLOGY OF INFECTION WITH HEPATITIS-A AND HEPATITIS-B VIRUSES IN AN ISOLATED PACIFIC POPULATION

To determine the prevalence of infection with hepatitis A virus and hepatitis B virus in an isolated population, samples of serum were collected from 574 healthy subjects living on the remote Pacific island of Funafuti. Each specimen was tested for antibody to hepatitis A virus, hepatitis B surface antigen and antibody to hepatitis B surface antigen by solid-phase radioimmunoassay. Of the population, 79.8% showed evidence of previous infection with hepatitis A virus and 72.5% with hepatitis B virus; the high prevalence of antibody to both viruses in young adults suggested that the majority of infections were acquired in the 1st decade of life. Although hepatitis B virus maintains itself in isolated populations through a reservoir of chronic carriers, the reason for the persistently high rate of infection with hepatitis A virus is unknown.