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Ticehurst JR, Pisanic N, Forman MS, Ordak C, Heaney CD, Ong E, Linnen JM, Ness PM, Guo N, Shan H, Nelson KE. Probable transmission of hepatitis E virus (HEV) via transfusion in the United States. Transfusion 2019; 59:1024-1034. [PMID: 30702157 DOI: 10.1111/trf.15140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2018] [Revised: 09/30/2018] [Accepted: 10/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hepatitis E virus (HEV) can inapparently infect blood donors. To assess transfusion transmission of HEV in the United States, which has not been documented, a donor-recipient repository was evaluated. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS To identify donations that contained HEV RNA and were linked to patient-recipients with antibody evidence of HEV exposure, we assayed samples from the Retrovirus Epidemiology Donor Study (REDS) Allogeneic Donor and Recipient repository that represents 13,201 linked donations and 3384 transfused patients. Posttransfusion samples, determined to contain IgG anti-HEV by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, were reassayed along with corresponding pretransfusion samples for seroconversion (incident exposure) or at least fourfold IgG anti-HEV increase (reexposure). HEV-exposed patients were linked to donations in which HEV RNA was then detected by reverse-transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction, confirmed by transcription-mediated amplification, and phylogenetically analyzed as subgenomic cDNA sequences. RESULTS Among all patients, 19 of 1036 (1.8%) who had IgG anti-HEV before transfusion were reexposed; 40 of 2348 (1.7%) without pretransfusion IgG anti-HEV seroconverted. These 59 patients were linked to 257 donations, 1 of which was positive by reverse-transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction and transcription-mediated amplification. Plasma from this donation contained 5.5 log IU/mL of HEV RNA that grouped with HEV genotype 3, clade 3abchij. The patient-recipient of RBCs from this donation had a greater than eightfold IgG increase; however, clinical data are unavailable. CONCLUSIONS This is the first report of probable HEV transmission via transfusion in the United States, although it has been frequently observed in Europe and Japan. Additional data on the magnitude of the risk in the United States are needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- John R Ticehurst
- Department of Epidemiology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland.,Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland.,Division of Medical Microbiology, Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Nora Pisanic
- Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Michael S Forman
- Division of Medical Microbiology, Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Carly Ordak
- Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Christopher D Heaney
- Department of Epidemiology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland.,Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland.,Department of International Health, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
| | | | | | - Paul M Ness
- Division of Transfusion Medicine, Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland.,Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Nan Guo
- Department of Epidemiology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Hua Shan
- Department of Transfusion Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California
| | - Kenrad E Nelson
- Department of Epidemiology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland.,Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
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Lenggenhager D, Weber A. An Update on the Clinicopathologic Features and Pathologic Diagnosis of Hepatitis E in Liver Specimens. Adv Anat Pathol 2018; 25:273-81. [PMID: 29697415 DOI: 10.1097/PAP.0000000000000195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Infection with the hepatitis E virus (HEV) is globally seen a leading cause of hepatitis. Now increasingly recognized also in industrialized countries, hepatitis E constitutes a significant health problem worldwide. The patient's immune status determines the clinical course and histopathology of hepatitis E. In immunocompetent patients, hepatitis E usually follows an asymptomatic or subclinical course, but may also present with acute hepatitis. In contrast, immunocompromised patients may develop chronic hepatitis, and patients with preexisting liver diseases are at risk for liver decompensation with potentially fatal outcome. Whereas pathologists only occasionally encounter liver biopsies from immunocompetent individuals with hepatitis E, they are more likely exposed to biopsies from patients with preexisting liver disease or immunocompromised individuals. Histopathologic hallmarks of hepatitis E in immunocompetent patients comprise lobular disarray, lobular, and portal inflammation, as well as hepatocyte necrosis of varying extend and regeneration. Thus, it is similar to acute non-E viral hepatitis, yet further differential diagnoses include autoimmune hepatitis and drug-induced liver injury. Histopathologic findings of hepatitis E in preexisting liver disease are determined by the underlying pathology, but may be more severe. Histopathologic presentation of hepatitis E in immunocompromised patients is highly variable, ranging from minimal active hepatitis to chronic hepatitis with severe activity and progressive fibrosis. Taken together, the variability of the histologic features depending on the clinical context and the overlap with other liver diseases make the histopathologic diagnosis of hepatitis E challenging. Immunohistochemistry for HEV open reading frame 2 protein and molecular testing for HEV RNA are useful tissue-based ancillary tools.
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Yin X, Ying D, Lhomme S, Tang Z, Walker CM, Xia N, Zheng Z, Feng Z. Origin, antigenicity, and function of a secreted form of ORF2 in hepatitis E virus infection. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2018;115:4773-4778. [PMID: 29669922 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1721345115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 103] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The enterically transmitted hepatitis E virus (HEV) adopts a unique strategy to exit cells by cloaking its capsid (encoded by the viral ORF2 gene) and circulating in the blood as "quasi-enveloped" particles. However, recent evidence suggests that the majority of the ORF2 protein present in the patient serum and supernatants of HEV-infected cell culture exists in a free form and is not associated with virus particles. The origin and biological functions of this secreted form of ORF2 (ORF2S) are unknown. Here we show that production of ORF2S results from translation initiated at the previously presumed AUG start codon for the capsid protein, whereas translation of the actual capsid protein (ORF2C) is initiated at a previously unrecognized internal AUG codon (15 codons downstream of the first AUG). The addition of 15 amino acids to the N terminus of the capsid protein creates a signal sequence that drives ORF2S secretion via the secretory pathway. Unlike ORF2C, ORF2S is glycosylated and exists as a dimer. Nonetheless, ORF2S exhibits substantial antigenic overlap with the capsid, but the epitopes predicted to bind the putative cell receptor are lost. Consistent with this, ORF2S does not block HEV cell entry but inhibits antibody-mediated neutralization. These results reveal a previously unrecognized aspect in HEV biology and shed new light on the immune evasion mechanisms and pathogenesis of this virus.
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Yin X, Ambardekar C, Lu Y, Feng Z. Distinct Entry Mechanisms for Nonenveloped and Quasi-Enveloped Hepatitis E Viruses. J Virol. 2016;90:4232-4242. [PMID: 26865708 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.02804-15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 162] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2015] [Accepted: 02/04/2016] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED The hepatitis E virus (HEV) sheds into feces as nonenveloped virions but circulates in the blood in a membrane-associated, quasi-enveloped form (eHEV). Since the eHEV virions lack viral proteins on the surface, we investigated the entry mechanism for eHEV. We found that compared to nonenveloped HEV virions, eHEV attachment to the cell was much less efficient, requiring a longer inoculation time to reach its maximal infectivity. A survey of cellular internalization pathways identified clathrin-mediated endocytosis as the main route for eHEV entry. Unlike nonenveloped HEV virions, eHEV entry requires Rab5 and Rab7, small GTPases involved in endosomal trafficking, and blocking endosomal acidification abrogated eHEV infectivity. However, low pH alone was not sufficient for eHEV uncoating, suggesting that additional steps are required for entry. Supporting this concept, eHEV infectivity was substantially reduced in cells depleted of Niemann-Pick disease type C1, a lysosomal protein required for cholesterol extraction from lipid, or in cells treated with an inhibitor of lysosomal acid lipase. These data support a model in which the quasi-envelope is degraded within the lysosome prior to virus uncoating, a potentially novel mechanism for virus entry. IMPORTANCE The recent discovery of quasi-enveloped viruses has shifted the paradigm of virus-host interactions. The impact of quasi-envelopment in the virus life cycle and pathogenesis is largely unknown. HEV is a highly relevant model to study these questions. HEV circulates as quasi-enveloped virions in the blood that are hidden from neutralizing antibodies. eHEV particles most likely are responsible for the cell-to-cell spread of the virus. Given the increasing concerns about persistent HEV infection and its potential for transmission via the blood supply, understanding how eHEV infects cells is important for understanding its pathogenesis and developing therapies. Our data provide evidence that eHEV uses a potentially novel mechanism for cellular entry. Several steps critical to eHEV entry were identified and may provide a basis for developing treatments for hepatitis E. Because quasi-enveloped viruses resemble exosomes, these data also may provide insights into the exosome-mediated intercellular communications.
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Sayed IM, Vercouter AS, Abdelwahab SF, Vercauteren K, Meuleman P. Is hepatitis E virus an emerging problem in industrialized countries? Hepatology 2015; 62:1883-92. [PMID: 26175182 DOI: 10.1002/hep.27990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2015] [Accepted: 07/13/2015] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is yearly responsible for approximately 20 million infections worldwide. Although most infections occur in developing countries, HEV appears to be an emerging problem in several industrialized countries, where it is mostly associated with either traveling to an HEV endemic area or contact with pigs, which represent a major reservoir of HEV. The major risk groups for HEV infection and its ensuing complications are elderly men, pregnant women, young children, immunocompromised patients, patients with preexisting liver disease, and workers that come into close contact with HEV-infected animals. Whereas HEV mainly causes acute self-limiting infections, chronic infections may occur among immunocompromised patients (e.g., transplant recipients and human immunodeficiency virus [HIV]-infected patients). Accordingly, HEV-HIV coinfection leads to accelerated liver cirrhosis and increased mortality rates compared to HEV infection alone, which is, except during pregnancy, usually associated with only low mortality. In the Western world, the most common genotype (gt) causing HEV infection is gt 3. Ribavirin (RBV) and interferon have been used successfully for treatment of HEV, but this treatment is contraindicated in certain patient groups. Therefore, novel antiviral compounds are highly needed, especially given that viral isolates with RBV resistance have been recently identified. Moreover, eradication of HEV is hampered by long-term environmental persistence of the virus, which represents a continuous source of the virus. In 2011, the first prophylactic HEV vaccine, Hecolin, was approved in China, but it is not yet globally available. In this review, we will discuss the molecular virology of HEV, mode of transmission in industrialized countries, and potential implications for different specific patient populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ibrahim M Sayed
- Center for Vaccinology, Department of Clinical Chemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Ghent University, Gent, Belgium
- Microbiology and Immunology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Assuit University, Assuit, Egypt
| | - Ann-Sofie Vercouter
- Center for Vaccinology, Department of Clinical Chemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Ghent University, Gent, Belgium
| | - Sayed F Abdelwahab
- Microbiology and Immunology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Minia University, Minia, Egypt
- Microbiology Department, College of Pharmacy, Taif University, Taif, Saudi Arabia
| | - Koen Vercauteren
- Center for Vaccinology, Department of Clinical Chemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Ghent University, Gent, Belgium
| | - Philip Meuleman
- Center for Vaccinology, Department of Clinical Chemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Ghent University, Gent, Belgium
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Sarkar S, Rivera EM, Engle RE, Nguyen HT, Schechterly CA, Alter HJ, Liang TJ, Purcell RH, Hoofnagle JH, Ghany MG. An Epidemiologic Investigation of a Case of Acute Hepatitis E. J Clin Microbiol 2015; 53:3547-52. [PMID: 26338861 DOI: 10.1128/JCM.01189-15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2015] [Accepted: 08/18/2015] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is considered a zoonotic infection in developed nations. A case of acute hepatitis E in a researcher following a scalpel injury while working on a pig prompted a seroepidemiologic study to identify potential modes of transmission and determine the seroprevalence of HEV among animal handlers at the institute. Sera from personnel (n = 64) in two animal facilities and age/sex-matched blood donors (n = 63) as controls were tested for IgG anti-HEV and, if positive, for IgM anti-HEV and HEV RNA. Sera and stool from pigs aged 6 to 12 weeks from the breeding farm and older pigs from animal facilities were tested similarly. The median age of personnel was 36 years, 74% were white, 56% were male, and 74% had direct exposure to pigs. The prevalence of anti-HEV was 3.1% among personnel compared to 3.2% among blood donors; none were positive for IgM anti-HEV or HEV RNA. IgG anti-HEV was detected in sera from 10% of pigs aged 6 to 8 weeks, 80% aged 10 weeks, 100% aged 12 weeks, and 76% aged >12 weeks. HEV RNA was detected in stool but not sera from three 12-week-old pigs. Sequencing revealed HEV genotype 3 with ∼10% difference between the patient and pig sequences. Parenteral transmission is a potential mode of acute HEV infection. The low and similar seroprevalence of anti-HEV between the at-risk group and age-matched blood donors suggests low transmission risk with universal precautions among animal handlers.
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