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Cheung CKM, Wong SH, Law AWH, Law MF. Transfusion-transmitted hepatitis E: What we know so far? World J Gastroenterol 2022; 28:47-75. [PMID: 35125819 PMCID: PMC8793017 DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v28.i1.47] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2021] [Revised: 07/16/2021] [Accepted: 12/22/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a major cause of viral hepatitis globally. There is growing concern about transfusion-transmitted HEV (TT-HEV) as an emerging global health problem. HEV can potentially result in chronic infection in immunocompromised patients, leading to a higher risk of liver cirrhosis and even death. Between 0.0013% and 0.281% of asymptomatic blood donors around the world have HEV viremia, and 0.27% to 60.5% have anti-HEV immunoglobulin G. HEV is infectious even at very low blood concentrations of the virus. Immunosuppressed patients who develop persistent hepatitis E infection should have their immunosuppressant regimen reduced; ribavirin may be considered as treatment. Pegylated interferon can be considered in those who are refractory or intolerant to ribavirin. Sofosbuvir, a nucleotide analog, showed modest antiviral activity in some clinical studies but sustained viral response was not achieved. Therefore, rescue treatment remains an unmet need. The need for HEV screening of all blood donations remains controversial. Universal screening has been adopted in some countries after consideration of risk and resource availability. Various pathogen reduction methods have also been proposed to reduce the risk of TT-HEV. Future studies are needed to define the incidence of transmission through transfusion, their clinical features, outcomes and prognosis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sunny Hei Wong
- Institute of Digestive Disease and Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 852, China
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798, Singapore
| | | | - Man Fai Law
- Medicine and Therapeutics, Prince of Wales Hospital, Hong Kong 852, China
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Buescher G, Ozga AK, Lorenz E, Pischke S, May J, Addo MM, Horvatits T. Hepatitis E seroprevalence and viremia rate in immunocompromised patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Liver Int 2021; 41:449-455. [PMID: 33034121 DOI: 10.1111/liv.14695] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2020] [Revised: 09/09/2020] [Accepted: 09/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Hepatitis E is an infectious disease of the liver caused by the hepatitis E virus (HEV). Immunocompromised patients present a particular risk group, as chronification of hepatitis E leading to life-threatening cirrhosis occurs when these patients are infected. Therefore, this study aims to estimate and compare the anti-HEV seroprevalence and the rate of HEV RNA positivity in transplant recipients and patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). METHODS This systematic review and meta-analysis involved a literature search (PubMed, Scopus; 1,138 studies) including 120 studies from 1996 to 2019, reporting anti-HEV seroprevalence and/or HEV-RNA positivity. Statistical analysis was performed using a linear mixed-effects meta regression model. RESULTS Anti-HEV seroprevalence in 14 626 transplant recipients ranged from 6% (95% CI: 1.9-17.2) to 29.6% (95% CI: 21.6-39.) in different commercially available assays and did not differ significantly compared to 20 825 HIV positive patients (range: 3.5% (95% CI: 0.9-12.8) - 19.4% (95% CI: 13.5-26.9). In contrast, HEV-RNA positivity rate was significantly higher in transplant recipients than in HIV positive patients (1.2% (95% CI: 0.9-1.6) vs 0.39% (95% CI: 0.2-0.7); P-value = 0.0011). CONCLUSION Anti-HEV seroprevalence did not differ significantly between transplant recipients and HIV positive patients. Interestingly, rates of HEV-RNA positivity, indicating ongoing infection, were significantly higher in transplant recipients. These findings demonstrate that transplant patients have an elevated risk of chronic infection in comparison to HIV patients at comparable risk of HEV-exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gustav Buescher
- Department of Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Ann-Kathrin Ozga
- Institute of Medical Biometry and Epidemiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Eva Lorenz
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany.,German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Hamburg-Lübeck-Borstel and Heidelberg Partner sites, Germany.,Institute of Medical Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics, University Medical Centre of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Sven Pischke
- Department of Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.,German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Hamburg-Lübeck-Borstel and Heidelberg Partner sites, Germany
| | - Jürgen May
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany.,German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Hamburg-Lübeck-Borstel and Heidelberg Partner sites, Germany
| | - Marylyn M Addo
- Department of Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.,German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Hamburg-Lübeck-Borstel and Heidelberg Partner sites, Germany
| | - Thomas Horvatits
- Department of Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.,German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Hamburg-Lübeck-Borstel and Heidelberg Partner sites, Germany
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Hepatitis E Virus Infection in an Italian Cohort of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Recipients: Seroprevalence and Infection. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant 2020; 26:1355-1362. [PMID: 32200124 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbmt.2020.03.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2019] [Revised: 01/15/2020] [Accepted: 03/10/2020] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Chronic hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) recipients is an emerging threat. The aim of this study was to provide data on the HEV burden in an Italian cohort of HSCT recipients and analyze risk factors for HEV seropositivity. This retrospective study reports data from 596 HSCT recipients compiled between 2010 and 2019. It included patients who underwent transplantation between 2010 and 2015 for whom pretransplantation (n = 419) and post-transplantation (n = 161) serum samples were available and tested retrospectively, as well as patients in whom prospective HEV testing was performed during the standard care: pre-HSCT IgG screening in 144, pre-HSCT HEV-RNA screening in addition to IgG screening in 60, and HEV-RNA testing in case of clinical suspicion of HEV infection in 59 (26 of whom were also included in the IgG screening cohorts). The rate of pre-HSCT HEV-IgG positivity was 6.0% (34 of 563). Older age was an independent risk factor for seropositivity (P = .039). None of the 34 HEV-IgG-positive patients had detectable HEV-RNA. One case of transient HEV-RNA positivity pre-HSCT was identified through screening. Two patients were diagnosed with chronic HEV hepatitis, and 1 patient was successfully treated with ribavirin. The burden of HEV infection in HSCT recipients in Italy is limited, and pre-HSCT screening appears to be of no benefit. Timely diagnosis of HEV infection with HEV-RNA is mandatory in cases of clinical suspicion.
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Rituximab-Containing Treatment Regimens May Imply a Long-Term Risk for Difficult-To-Treat Chronic Hepatitis E. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2020; 17:ijerph17010341. [PMID: 31947836 PMCID: PMC6982013 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17010341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2019] [Revised: 12/23/2019] [Accepted: 12/31/2019] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection is an emerging disease in industrialized countries which is usually characterized by a self-limited course. However, there is an increased risk of HEV persistence in immunocompromised risk populations, comprising patients following solid organ transplantation or hematological malignancies. Recently, chronic HEV infection following rituximab-containing treatment regimens has been described. Here we report five patients with chronic hepatitis E after prior rituximab therapy for various indications. We determined the immunological characteristics of these patients and analyzed the development of ribavirin (RBV) treatment failure-associated mutations in the HEV genome. One patient became chronically HEV-infected 110 months after administration of rituximab (RTX). Immunological characterization revealed that all patients exhibited significant hypogammaglobulinemia and CD4+ T cell lymphopenia. One patient permanently cleared HEV following weight-based ribavirin treatment while three patients failed to reach a sustained virological response. In depth mutational analysis confirmed the presence of specific mutations associated with RBV treatment failure in these patients. Our cases indicate that rituximab-containing treatment regimens might imply a relevant risk for persistent HEV infection even years after the last rituximab application. Moreover, we provide further evidence to prior observations suggesting that chronically HEV infected patients following RTX-containing treatment regimens might be difficult to treat.
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Harritshøj LH, Hother CE, Sengeløv H, Daugaard G, Sørensen SS, Jacobsen S, Perch M, Holm DK, Sækmose SG, Aagaard B, Erikstrup C, Hogema BM, Lundgren JD, Ullum H. Epidemiology of hepatitis E virus infection in a cohort of 4023 immunocompromised patients. Int J Infect Dis 2019; 91:188-195. [PMID: 31756566 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2019.11.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2019] [Revised: 11/11/2019] [Accepted: 11/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The prevalence of active, chronic, and former hepatitis E virus (HEV) infections was investigated in a cohort of immunocompromised patients. The association with transfusion transmitted HEV was evaluated, and the HEV seroprevalence was compared with that in healthy blood donors. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS Serum samples from 4023 immunocompromised patients at Rigshospitalet, Denmark were retrospectively tested for HEV RNA and anti-HEV IgG. HEV RNA-positive patients were followed up by HEV testing, clinical symptoms, and transfusion history. Factors associated with anti-HEV were explored by multivariable logistic regression analysis. Samples from 1226 blood donors were retrospectively tested for anti-HEV IgG. RESULTS HEV RNA was detected in six patients (0.15%) with no indications of chronic HEV infection. HEV RNA prevalence rates among recipients of allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) and solid organ transplantation (SOT) were 0.58% and 0.21%, respectively. Transfusion transmitted infections were refuted, and transfusion history was not associated with anti-HEV positivity. The difference in HEV seroprevalence between patients (22.0%) and blood donors (10.9%) decreased when adjusting for age and sex (odds ratio 1.20, 95% confidence interval 0.97-1.48). CONCLUSIONS HEV viremia among allo-HSCT and SOT recipients suggests that clinicians should be aware of this diagnosis. The lack of association of blood transfusion with anti-HEV positivity supports food-borne transmission as the main transmission route of HEV common to both patients and blood donors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lene H Harritshøj
- Department of Clinical Immunology, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Christoffer E Hother
- Department of Clinical Immunology, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Henrik Sengeløv
- Department of Haematology, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark; Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Gedske Daugaard
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark; Department of Oncology, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Søren S Sørensen
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark; Department of Nephrology, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Søren Jacobsen
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark; Copenhagen Lupus and Vasculitis Clinic, Centre for Rheumatology and Spine Diseases, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Michael Perch
- Department of Cardiology, Section for Lung Transplantation, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Dorte K Holm
- Department of Clinical Immunology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
| | - Susanne G Sækmose
- Department of Clinical Immunology, Næstved Hospital, Næstved, Denmark
| | - Bitten Aagaard
- Department of Clinical Immunology, Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark
| | - Christian Erikstrup
- Department of Clinical Immunology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Boris M Hogema
- Sanquin Research and Diagnostic Services, Departments of Blood-borne Infections and Virology, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Jens D Lundgren
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark; Centre for Health, Immunity and Infectious Diseases (CHIP), Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark
| | - Henrik Ullum
- Department of Clinical Immunology, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark; Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
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