[Viruses in the feces of patients with viral hepatitis and other enterovirus infections].

Andzhaparidze, A G; Balaian, M S; Savinskaia, S S; Mamedov, M K; Annenkov, A E

Direct and immune electron microscopy was used to determine the frequency of finding of hepatitis A virus (HAV) and other viral agents in feces of patients in relation to the diagnosis and epidemiological situation. HAV-containing excretions from patients were analysed ultrastructurally. The highest frequency of HAV detection was established in patients in a water-borne and food-borne outbreak of hepatitis A (HA) and was 40.9% and 36.9%, respectively. In patients with HA diagnosis in the period of a seasonal rise of HA incidence HAV particles were found in 11.8%, and in the interseasonal period in 5%. Apart from HAV particles, in a small per cent of patients with HA diagnosis adenovirus and enterovirus particles were found. In patients with the disease diagnosed as hepatitis B (HB) only adenovirus and enterovirus particles were found. In contrast to the patients with HAV and HB diagnosis, the patients who were combined into a conditional "non-hepatitis" group were found to have, in addition to HAV (in the period of seasonal rise of HA incidence), adenovirus and enterovirus particles, also particles of astrovirus, coronavirus, and rotavirus. In fecal specimens of patients containing typical HAV particles structures were found resembling individual fragments of empty HAV particles, antibody-covered 17-22 nm and 27 nm spherical structures poorly reacting with antibody.