1
|
Dighe A, Khan AI, Bhuiyan TR, Islam MT, Khan ZH, Khan II, Hulse JD, Ahmed S, Rashid M, Hossain MZ, Rashid R, Hegde ST, Gurley ES, Qadri F, Azman AS. Annual risk of hepatitis E virus infection and seroreversion: Insights from a serological cohort in Sitakunda, Bangladesh. Epidemiol Infect 2024; 152:e52. [PMID: 38497497 PMCID: PMC11022260 DOI: 10.1017/s0950268824000438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2023] [Revised: 02/01/2024] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 03/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a major cause of acute jaundice in South Asia. Gaps in our understanding of transmission are driven by non-specific symptoms and scarcity of diagnostics, impeding rational control strategies. In this context, serological data can provide important proxy measures of infection. We enrolled a population-representative serological cohort of 2,337 individuals in Sitakunda, Bangladesh. We estimated the annual risks of HEV infection and seroreversion both using serostatus changes between paired serum samples collected 9 months apart, and by fitting catalytic models to the age-stratified cross-sectional seroprevalence. At baseline, 15% (95 CI: 14-17%) of people were seropositive, with seroprevalence highest in the relatively urban south. During the study, 27 individuals seroreverted (annual seroreversion risk: 15%, 95 CI: 10-21%), and 38 seroconverted (annual infection risk: 3%, 95CI: 2-5%). Relying on cross-sectional seroprevalence data alone, and ignoring seroreversion, underestimated the annual infection risk five-fold (0.6%, 95 CrI: 0.5-0.6%). When we accounted for the observed seroreversion in a reversible catalytic model, infection risk was more consistent with measured seroincidence. Our results quantify HEV infection risk in Sitakunda and highlight the importance of accounting for seroreversion when estimating infection incidence from cross-sectional seroprevalence data.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Amy Dighe
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Juan Dent Hulse
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Shakeel Ahmed
- Bangladesh Institute of Tropical and Infectious Diseases, Chattogram, Bangladesh
| | - Mamunur Rashid
- Bangladesh Institute of Tropical and Infectious Diseases, Chattogram, Bangladesh
| | - Md Zakir Hossain
- Bangladesh Institute of Tropical and Infectious Diseases, Chattogram, Bangladesh
| | - Rumana Rashid
- Bangladesh Institute of Tropical and Infectious Diseases, Chattogram, Bangladesh
| | - Sonia T. Hegde
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Emily S. Gurley
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Firdausi Qadri
- Infectious Disease Division, icddr, b, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Andrew S. Azman
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Geneva Centre for Emerging Viral Diseases, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
- Division of Tropical and Humanitarian Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Nesbitt RC, Asilaza VK, Gignoux E, Koyuncu A, Gitahi P, Nkemenang P, Duncker J, Antier Z, Haile M, Gakima P, Wamala JF, Loro FB, Biem D, Rull M, Azman AS, Rumunu J, Ciglenecki I. Vaccination coverage and adverse events following a reactive vaccination campaign against hepatitis E in Bentiu displaced persons camp, South Sudan. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2024; 18:e0011661. [PMID: 38252655 PMCID: PMC10833508 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0011661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2023] [Revised: 02/01/2024] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Hepatitis E (HEV) genotypes 1 and 2 are the common cause of jaundice and acute viral hepatitis that can cause large-scale outbreaks. HEV infection is associated with adverse fetal outcomes and case fatality risks up to 31% among pregnant women. An efficacious three-dose recombinant vaccine (Hecolin) has been licensed in China since 2011 but until 2022, had not been used for outbreak response despite a 2015 WHO recommendation. The first ever mass vaccination campaign against hepatitis E in response to an outbreak was implemented in 2022 in Bentiu internally displaced persons camp in South Sudan targeting 27,000 residents 16-40 years old, including pregnant women. METHODS We conducted a vaccination coverage survey using simple random sampling from a sampling frame of all camp shelters following the third round of vaccination. For survey participants vaccinated in the third round in October, we asked about the onset of symptoms experienced within 72 hours of vaccination. During each of the three vaccination rounds, passive surveillance of adverse events following immunisation (AEFI) was put in place at vaccination sites and health facilities in Bentiu IDP camp. RESULTS We surveyed 1,599 individuals and found that self-reported coverage with one or more dose was 86% (95% CI 84-88%), 73% (95% CI 70-75%) with two or more doses and 58% (95% CI 55-61%) with three doses. Vaccination coverage did not differ significantly by sex or age group. We found no significant difference in coverage of at least one dose between pregnant and non-pregnant women, although coverage of at least two and three doses was 8 and 14 percentage points lower in pregnant women. The most common reasons for non-vaccination were temporary absence or unavailability, reported by 60% of unvaccinated people. Passive AEFI surveillance captured few mild AEFI, and through the survey we found that 91 (7.6%) of the 1,195 individuals reporting to have been vaccinated in October 2022 reported new symptoms starting within 72 hours after vaccination, most commonly fever, headache or fatigue. CONCLUSIONS We found a high coverage of at least one dose of the Hecolin vaccine following three rounds of vaccination, and no severe AEFI. The vaccine was well accepted and well tolerated in the Bentiu IDP camp community and should be considered for use in future outbreak response.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Etienne Gignoux
- Epicentre, Paris, France
- Médecins Sans Frontières, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Aybüke Koyuncu
- Epicentre, Paris, France
- Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, United States of America
| | | | | | | | | | - Melat Haile
- Médecins Sans Frontières, Geneva, Switzerland
| | | | | | | | - Duol Biem
- Ministry of Health, Juba, South Sudan
| | - Monica Rull
- Médecins Sans Frontières, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Andrew S. Azman
- Médecins Sans Frontières, Geneva, Switzerland
- Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, United States of America
- Geneva Centre for Emerging Viral Diseases, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
- Division of Tropical and Humanitarian Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
3
|
Damiris K, Aghaie Meybodi M, Niazi M, Pyrsopoulos N. Hepatitis E in immunocompromised individuals. World J Hepatol 2022; 14:482-494. [PMID: 35582299 PMCID: PMC9055194 DOI: 10.4254/wjh.v14.i3.482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2021] [Revised: 12/15/2021] [Accepted: 02/13/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis E virus (HEV) originally identified as a cause of acute icteric hepatitis in developing countries has grown to be a cause of zoonotic viral hepatitis in developed countries such as the United States. While there are eight identified genotypes to date, genotype 1 (HEV1), HEV2, HEV3, HEV4 are the most common to infect humans. HEV1 and HEV2 are most common in developing countries including Latina America, Africa and Asia, and are commonly transmitted through contaminated water supplies leading to regional outbreaks. In contrast HEV3 and HEV4 circulate freely in many mammalian animals and can lead to occasional transmission to humans through fecal contamination or consumption of undercooked meat. The incidence and prevalence of HEV in the United States is undetermined given the absence of FDA approved serological assays and the lack of commercially available testing. In majority of cases, HEV infection is a self-limiting hepatitis requiring only symptomatic treatment. However, this is not the case in immunocompromised individuals, including those that have undergone solid organ or stem cell transplantation. In this subset of patients, chronic infection can be life threatening as hepatic insult can lead to inflammation and fibrosis with subsequent cirrhosis and death. The need for re-transplantation as a result of post-transplant hepatitis is of great concern. In addition, there have been many reported incidents of extrahepatic manifestations, for which the exact mechanisms remain to be elucidated. The cornerstone of treatment in immunocompromised solid organ transplant recipients is reduction of immunosuppressive therapies, while attempting to minimize the risk of organ rejection. Subsequent treatment options include ribavirin, and pegylated interferon alpha in those who have demonstrated ribavirin resistance. Further investigation assessing safety and efficacy of anti-viral therapy is imperative given the rising global health burden. Given this concern, vaccination has been approved in China with other investigations underway throughout the world. In this review we introduce the epidemiology, diagnosis, clinical manifestations, and treatment of HEV, with emphasis on immunocompromised individuals in the United States.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Konstantinos Damiris
- Department of Medicine, Rutgers - New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ 07103, United States
| | - Mohamad Aghaie Meybodi
- Department of Medicine, Rutgers - New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ 07103, United States
| | - Mumtaz Niazi
- Department of Medicine - Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Rutgers - New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ 07103, United States
| | - Nikolaos Pyrsopoulos
- Department of Medicine - Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Rutgers - New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ 07103, United States
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Azman AS, Paul KK, Bhuiyan TR, Koyuncu A, Salje H, Qadri F, Gurley ES. Hepatitis E in Bangladesh: Insights from a National Serosurvey. J Infect Dis 2021; 224:S805-S812. [PMID: 34549775 PMCID: PMC8687073 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiab446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Hepatitis E virus (HEV) genotypes 1 and 2 are a major cause of avoidable morbidity and mortality in South Asia. Despite the high risk of death among infected pregnant women, scarce incidence data has been a contributing factor to global policy recommendations against the introduction of licensed hepatitis E vaccines, one of the only effective prevention tools. Methods We tested serum from a nationally representative serosurvey in Bangladesh for anti-HEV immunoglobulin G and estimated seroprevalence. We used Bayesian geostatistical models to generate high-resolution maps of seropositivity and examined variability in seropositivity by individual-level, household-level, and community-level risk factors using spatial logistic regression. Results We tested serum samples from 2924 individuals from 70 communities representing all divisions of Bangladesh and estimated a national seroprevalence of 20% (95% confidence interval [CI], 17%–24%). Seropositivity increased with age and male sex (odds ratio, 2.2 male vs female; 95% CI, 1.8–2.8). Community-level seroprevalence ranged widely (0–78%) with higher seroprevalence in urban areas, including Dhaka, with a 3.0-fold (95% credible interval, 2.3–3.7) higher seroprevalence than the rest of the country. Conclusions Hepatitis E infections are common throughout Bangladesh. Strengthening surveillance for hepatitis E, especially in urban areas, can provide additional evidence to appropriately target interventions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew S Azman
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, USA.,Institute of Global Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Aybüke Koyuncu
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, USA
| | - Henrik Salje
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, USA.,University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Emily S Gurley
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, USA
| |
Collapse
|