Background - The spread of human immunodeficiency VIRUS (HIV), HEPATITIS B VIRUS (HBV) and HEPATITIS C VIRUS (HCV) continues at an alarming rate worldwide. This pandemic has created a dramatic, often devastating, impact on many countries including Iran. Due to the similar route of transmission of HIV, HBV and HCV, intravenous drug abusers are considered one of the leading high-risk groups. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence rate of these VIRUSes and associated risk factors among intravenous drug addicts in Zanjan prisoners. Methods - This was a cross-sectional investigation conducted in 2001. The study population included 346 drug addict prisoners in Zanjan. Data were collected through interview and blood testing for HIV, HBV and HCV. All blood samples were examined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Samples positive for HIV were confirmed using Western blot. Results - The prevalence of HIV infection was 1.2%, HBV 3.8% and HCV 47.7%. Intravenous injection, homosexuality and tattooing were, statistically, significantly associated with HIV-, HBV- and HCV-positivity, separately and cumulatively. Conclusion - Taking into account the similarities that exist among the routes of transmission of these VIRUSes and the high rate of infection with HCV in the population studied, it can be predicted that the rate of infection with HBV and HIV will tend to increase. Accordingly, preventive and health education programs are essential.

Context: After five decades of HEPATITIS B VIRUS (HBV) vaccine discovery, HBV is still a major public health problem. Due to the high genetic diversity of HBV and selective pressure of the host immune system, intra-host evolution of this VIRUS in different clinical manifestations is a hot topic of research. HBV infection causes a range of clinical manifestations from acute to chronic infection, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Among all forms of HBV infection manifestations, fulminant HEPATITIS B infection possesses the highest fatality rate. Almost 1% of the acutely infected patients develop fulminant HEPATITIS B, in which the mortality rate is around 70%.Evidence Acquisition: All published papers deposited in Genbank, on the topic of fulminant HEPATITIS were reviewed and their virological aspects were investigated. In this review, we highlight the genomic diversity of HBV reported from patients with fulminant HBV infection.Results: The most commonly detected diversities affect regulatory motifs of HBV in the core and S region, indicating that these alterations may convert the VIRUS to an aggressive strain. Moreover, mutations at T-cell and B-cell epitopes located in pre-S1 and pre-S2 proteins may lead to an immune evasion of the VIRUS, likely favoring a more severe clinical course of infection. Furthermore, point and frame shift mutations in the core region increase the viral replication of HBV and help VIRUS to evade from immune system and guarantee its persistence.Conclusions: Fulminant HEPATITIS B is associated with distinct mutational patterns of HBV, underlining that genomic diversity of the VIRUS is an important factor determining its pathogenicity.

HEPATITIS A viral infection is a common illness across the globe, particularly among the pediatric population. In 30% of infected children below 6 years, it presents as symptomatic HEPATITIS. Epstein-Barr VIRUS (EBV) infections are common in early childhood and cause infectious mononucleosis in young adolescents. Primary EBV infection presentation as isolated HEPATITIS without infectious mononucleosis (IM) syndrome is very rare. In tropical countries, co-infections are common. We report acute HEPATITIS due to dual infection of HEPATITIS A and EBV in an 8-year-old child.

Background and Aims: Determination of the genotypes and subtypes of HEPATITIS B VIRUS (HBV) provides epidemiological data, which can contribute further to vaccination and antiviral treatment strategies, diagnostic development, and prediction of the disease course. The aim of this study was to describe the molecular characterization and phylogenetic analysis of 60 HBV S-region isolated from native Iranian patients with chronic HBV infection.Methods: HBV-positive sera were collected from Iranian patients with HEPATITIS B infection in Tehran HEPATITIS Center.HBV-DNA was extracted and the partial HBV S ORF (677bp) were chosen for amplification and sequencing.Results: By comparing the sequences of HBV isolated from Iranian patients with 50 complete sequences of HBV retrieved from the GenBank database, representing all other existing genotypes, the sequences of all 60 patients were consistent with that of genotype D. All HBV isolates from Iranian patients were clustered in genotype D branch with high bootstrap values.Conclusions: Sixty HBV isolates from Iranian patients with chronic HEPATITIS B represent homogenous genotypic diversity. These sequences of Iranian HBV genomes may contribute to the information on the genetic diversity of HBV worldwide.

Aim: This study aims to investigate the seroprevalence of HAV immunity among Iranian soldiers and determine whether vaccination should be given to military draftees.Background: HEPATITIS A VIRUS (HAV) is highly contagious in individuals living in crowded conditions such as military centers. To the best of our knowledge, there are limited data about HAV prevalence among Iranian soldiers.Patients and methods: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 1554 soldiers were recruited through a random clustering sampling. Serum anti-HAV antibody was measured by Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS.Results: A total of 1554 male soldiers with age ranged from 18 to 34 years (mean age: 21.2±1.9 years) at baseline were evaluated. Overall, 80.3% of the analyzed specimens were anti-HAV seropositive. Seroprevalence rates significantly increased with the age.Conclusion: Our results suggest that vaccination for HAV is not necessary for Iranian military draftees. However, the vaccination is recommended for high-risk groups, including anti-HAV seronegative soldiers.