Dataset Information

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) in Scotland: evidence of recent increase in viral circulation in humans.

ABSTRACT: BackgroundPrevious studies showed low levels of circulating hepatitis E virus (HEV) in Scotland. We aimed to reassess current Scottish HEV epidemiology. Methods: Blood donor samples from five Scottish blood centres, the minipools for routine HEV screening and liver transplant recipients were tested for HEV antibodies and RNA to determine seroprevalence and viraemia. Blood donor data were compared with results from previous studies covering 2004-08. Notified laboratory-confirmed hepatitis E cases (2009-16) were extracted from national surveillance data. Viraemic samples from blood donors (2016) and chronic hepatitis E transplant patients (2014-16) were sequenced. Results: Anti-HEV IgG seroprevalence varied geographically and was highest in Edinburgh where it increased from 4.5% in 2004-08) to 9.3% in 2014-15 (p = 0.001). It was most marked in donors < 35 years. HEV RNA was found in 1:2,481 donors, compared with 1:14,520 in 2011. Notified laboratory-confirmed cases increased by a factor of 15 between 2011 and 2016, from 13 to 206. In 2011-13, 1 of 329 transplant recipients tested positive for acute HEV, compared with six cases of chronic infection during 2014-16. Of 10 sequenced viraemic donors eight and all six patients were infected with genotype 3 clade 1 virus, common in European pigs. Conclusions: The seroprevalence, number of viraemic donors and numbers of notified laboratory-confirmed cases of HEV in Scotland have all recently increased. The causes of this change are unknown, but need further investigation. Clinicians in Scotland, particularly those caring for immunocompromised patients, should have a low threshold for testing for HEV.

SUBMITTER: Thom K

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6205259 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) in Scotland: evidence of recent increase in viral circulation in humans.

Thom Katrina K Gilhooly Pamela P McGowan Karen K Malloy Kristen K Jarvis Lisa M LM Crossan Claire C Scobie Linda L Blatchford Oliver O Smith-Palmer Alison A Donnelly Mhairi C MC Davidson Janice S JS Johannessen Ingolfur I Simpson Kenneth J KJ Dalton Harry R HR Petrik Juraj J

Euro surveillance : bulletin Europeen sur les maladies transmissibles = European communicable disease bulletin 20180301 12

BackgroundPrevious studies showed low levels of circulating hepatitis E virus (HEV) in Scotland. We aimed to reassess current Scottish HEV epidemiology. <b>Methods:</b> Blood donor samples from five Scottish blood centres, the minipools for routine HEV screening and liver transplant recipients were tested for HEV antibodies and RNA to determine seroprevalence and viraemia. Blood donor data were compared with results from previous studies covering 2004-08. Notified laboratory-confirmed hepatitis ...[more]

PMID: 29589577

Similar Datasets

Project description:Hepatitis E virus (HEV) can account for up to a 30% mortality rate in pregnant women, with highest incidences reported for genotype 1 (gt1) HEV. Reasons contributing to adverse maternal-fetal outcome during pregnancy in HEV-infected pregnant women remain elusive in part due to the lack of a robust tissue culture model for some strains. Open reading frame (ORF4) was discovered overlapping ORF1 in gt1 HEV whose protein expression is regulated via an IRES-like RNA element. To experimentally determine whether gt3 HEV contains an ORF4-like gt1, gt1 and gt3 sequence comparisons were performed between the gt1 and the homologous gt3 sequence. To assess whether ORF4 protein could enhance gt3 replication, Huh7 cell lines constitutively expressing ORF4 were created and used to assess the replication of the Kernow-C1 gt3 and sar55 gt1 HEV. Virus stocks from transfected Huh7 cells with or without ORF4 were harvested and infectivity assessed via infection of HepG2/C3A cells. We also studied the replication of gt1 HEV in the ORF4-expressing tunicamycin-treated cell line. To directly show that HEV transcripts have productively replicated in the target cells, we assessed events at the single-cell level using indirect immunofluorescence and flow cytometry. Despite not naturally encoding ORF4, replication of gt3 HEV was enhanced by the presence of gt1 ORF4 protein. These results suggest that the function of ORF4 protein from gt1 HEV is transferrable, enhancing the replication of gt3 HEV. ORF4 may be utilized to enhance replication of difficult to propagate HEV genotypes in cell culture. IMPORTANCE: HEV is a leading cause of acute viral hepatitis (AVH) around the world. The virus is a threat to pregnant women, particularly during the second and third trimester of pregnancy. The factors enhancing virulence to pregnant populations are understudied. Additionally, field strains of HEV remain difficult to culture in vitro. ORF4 was recently discovered in gt1 HEV and is purported to play a role in pregnancy related pathology and enhanced replication. We present evidence that ORF4 protein provided in trans enhances the viral replication of gt3 HEV even though it does not encode ORF4 naturally in its genome. These data will aid in the development of cell lines capable of supporting replication of non-cell culture adapted HEV field strains, allowing viral titers sufficient for studying these strains in vitro. Furthermore, development of gt1/gt3 ORF4 chimeric virus may shed light on the role that ORF4 plays during pregnancy.

Project description:BackgroundTo fulfill epidemiological data and investigate possible interspecies transmission, this study shall attempt to sequence representative HEV strains of human, swine and wild boar origin collected from 2010 to 2017 in Croatia.MethodsIn total, 174 anti-HEV antibody positive human sera samples; 1419 blood or faeces samples of swine, as well as 720 tissue and/or blood samples of wild boar originating from different counties (18 in total) in Croatia were tested for the presence of HEV RNA.ResultsHEV RNA was detected in 26 human sera samples (14.9%; 95% CI 10.4-21.0%). HEV RNA was detected in 216 tested swine (15.2%; 95% CI 13.5-17.1%), regardless of age, farm breeding system or geographical origin. Viral RNA was also detectable in faeces samples which prove that swine actively participate in shedding HEV into the environment. Of the total of 720 tested wild boar samples, 83 were HEV RNA positive (11.5, 95% CI 9.4-14.1%) originating from six counties. According to the sequence analysis all strains have shown to be members of Orthohepevirus A genotype HEV-3, regardless of host. The genotyping results confirm grouping of sequences into four subtypes of HEV strains of which subtypes 3a and 3c belong to the general cluster 3abchij, and were predominately detected during the study, while subtypes 3e and 3f fall within cluster 3efg. Strains within subtypes 3a and 3e were found in humans, swine and wild boars; subtype 3c strains were derived from humans and swine, whereas subtype 3f strains were found only in humans. Strains belonging to subtypes 3a and 3c were derived during the entire investigated period and may be considered endemic in Croatia, whereas strains within subtypes 3e and 3f were detected sporadically indicating the possibility of newly imported infections.ConclusionsAll detected strains show to be genetically highly related to strains found in humans and/or animals from other European Countries, indicating that trade of live animals or wild boar movement increases the risk of HEV infection spread. Furthermore, homologous strains found in different investigated species within this study indicate interspecies transmission of HEV and/or an existence of an accessible mutual source of infection.

Dataset Information

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) in Scotland: evidence of recent increase in viral circulation in humans.

Publications

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) in Scotland: evidence of recent increase in viral circulation in humans.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets