Hepatitis B virus infection among institutionalized mentally ill patients in Brazil

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVES: The main objective was to evaluate HBV infection and occult HBV infection (OBI) cases in mentally ill patients based on serological and molecular profiles. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Serum samples of 333 long-stay mentally ill patients were tested for the prevalence of HBV markers by serological (ELISA) and molecular (PCR) assays. The PCR products were sequenced to determine viral genotypes. RESULTS: It was observed a global prevalence of 12.9% (43/333) for HBV infection markers, considering HBsAg and/or anti-HBc positivity. Fourteen samples tested positive for anti-HBs a...