HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Submit a response View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Gingrich, G A Articles by Ash, K O Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Gingrich, G A Articles by Ash, K O

Serologic investigation of an outbreak of hepatitis A in a rural day-care center.

G A Gingrich, S C Hadler, H A Elder and K O Ash

We studied an outbreak of hepatitis A in a day-care center in a rural community where less than 7 per cent of the population possessed anti-HAV. Serotesting for IgM specific antibody to hepatitis A virus identified 78 cases in center attendees, staff, and families. Thirty-five per cent of the center children were seropositive. In children under age three anicteric infection was at least 17 times more frequent than icteric infection, but in older children and adults icterus was a predominant manifestation of the disease. Clinical suspicion should be high in any day-care child with nausea, emesis, diarrhea, or arthralgia. The low incidence of icterus in infected children suggested that outbreak reports reaching public health departments are likely to be incomplete and poorly indicative of outbreak magnitude. The high frequency of intrafamilial transmission and anicteric infection appeared to justify administration of immune serum globulin to household contacts of center children under age three when a day-care outbreak is detected.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				G. J. B. Sonder, J. E. van Steenbergen, L. P. M. J. Bovee, P. G. H. Peerbooms, R. A. Coutinho, and A. van den Hoek Hepatitis A Virus Immunity and Seroconversion Among Contacts of Acute Hepatitis A Patients in Amsterdam, 1996-2000: An Evaluation of Current Prevention Policy Am J Public Health, September 1, 2004; 94(9): 1620 - 1626. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				G. L. Armstrong and B. P. Bell Hepatitis A Virus Infections in the United States: Model-Based Estimates and Implications for Childhood Immunization Pediatrics, May 1, 2002; 109(5): 839 - 845. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. S. Friedman, T. F. O'Brien, L. J. Morse, L. W. Chang, W. E. C. Wacker, D. M. Ryan, and J. L. Dienstag Revisiting the Holy Cross Football Team Hepatitis Outbreak (1969) by Serological Analysis JAMA, August 9, 1985; 254(6): 774 - 776. [Abstract] [PDF]