Hepatitis A is an acute infectious disease of the liver (also known as Botkin’s disease) caused by the hepatitis A virus (HAV), which belongs to the genus Hepatovirus of the family Picornaviridae. The virus is able to remain infectious in water, soil, and on surfaces for prolonged periods and is resistant to low temperatures and the acidic environment of the stomach.
According to the World Health Organization, approximately 100 million HAV infections and 1.5 million clinically apparent cases are reported worldwide each year. 15,000–30,000 of these cases result in death annually. The main routes of transmission are fecal-oral, including through contaminated water and food, as well as household contact. After infection, HAV penetrates through the intestinal epithelium into the bloodstream and is transported to the liver, where it replicates in hepatocytes and Kupffer cells. Due to its cytolytic effect on liver cells, the virus is excreted with bile into the intestine and released into the environment even before clinical symptoms appear.
The incubation period of hepatitis A usually ranges from 14 to 28 days, although it may extend to 15–50 days depending on immune status, age, concomitant diseases, and other factors. In most cases, the disease is accompanied by weakness, body aches, sore throat, fever, loss of appetite, vomiting, pain, and heaviness in the right upper quadrant of the abdomen. The clinical course varies with age: in young children the infection is often asymptomatic, whereas in adults an icteric form with pronounced intoxication syndrome develops more frequently.
To enable effective and timely diagnosis of Hepatitis A Virus, Vitrotest Bioreagent has developed and launched into production new high-quality test kit:
Vitrotest® HAV-IgM, ELISA for the qualitative determination of IgM class antibodies to Hepatitis A Virus in human serum or plasma:
- TK069 – 96 tests.
We invite you to review detailed information in the updated catalog on our website and place your order by contacting our sales department.