[Venezuelan equine encephalitis. Determination of antibodies in the human population of Municipio Mirand, Estado Zulia, Venezuela].

The research article is about a study conducted to identify the prevalence of antibodies against Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Virus in the populations of Puertos de Altagracia and Sabaneta de Palmas of Miranda county, Zulia State, Venezuela.

Objectives and Method

• The main aim of this research was to determine the presence of antibodies against the Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Virus in two groups of subjects from Puertos de Altagracia and Sabaneta de Palmas.
• The study was conducted on 199 individuals, among whom 57 were from Puertos de Altagracia and 142 from Sabaneta de Palmas.
• These subjects were further categorized into two age groups – less than 15 years old (57.2%) and more than 15 years old (42.78%).
• The Hemagglutination Inhibition Test was conducted on these blood samples using the Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Virus antigen Goajira strain at PH 6.5.

Outcome

• It was found that none of the specimens from Puertos de Altagracia tested positive for antibodies against the virus.
• On the other hand, out of the 142 specimens from Sabaneta de Palmas, 17, or 11.97% were found to be positive. Among these positive cases, one was from an individual less than 15 years old (5.85%) and the remaining 16 were among individuals older than 15 years (94.15%).
• The researchers found that 80% of the cases that tested positive had titers higher than 1:160.
• The authors suggest that Sabaneta de Palmas population could represent an enzootic zone similar to Paíz county, where a similar situation – high levels of positivity and high titers, was reported many years after the last epidemic.

Conclusion

• The research concluded that there was a significant prevalence of Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Virus antibodies in Sabaneta de Palmas, implying a possible risk zone for the disease, much like the Paíz county.
• They also identified that positive cases mostly belonged to the older age group and had high antibody titers developed against the virus. This indicates a potential health concern for the older population in these areas.