Epidemiology of hepatitis B virus infection in truck drivers in Brazil, South America

Objective: To investigate the epidemiology of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and viral genotypes in long distance truck drivers in Brazil. Methods: We interviewed 641 long distance truck drivers to gather data on sociodemographics and risk factors and collected blood samples to test for HBV markers (HBsAg, anti-HBs and anti-HBc) by ELISA. HBsAg-positive samples were submitted to HBV DNA detection and genotyped. Results: We found a global HBV prevalence of 18.9% (95% CI 15.9 to 22.2). Thirty truck drivers (4.7%) had only anti-HBs, suggesting that they had a previous HBV vaccination. More than 20 years in the profession, more than 15 days away from home and a history of sexual transmitted infections were independently and positivity associated with HBV markers. HBV DNA was detected in nine samples in which genotypes A (n = 5), D (n = 2) and F (n = 2) were found. Conclusions: These findings confirm that truck drivers are at high risk for hepatitis B infection and highlight the importance of having a public health policy that addresses this population and is based on the characteristics of HBV acquisition and dissemination.