Abstract
Background & aims: Hepatitis D virus infection (HDV) is considered the most severe form of viral hepatitis. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the prevalence of HDV infection in a tertiary center of a large, multi-ethnic city in the Netherlands. Moreover, we validate the reliability of a novel anti-HDV CLIA assay. Methods: All HBsAg-positive patients visiting the outpatient clinic between 2017 and 2019 were tested for HDV serology. Seropositive serum samples were further assessed by HDV RNA PCR and Sanger sequencing to identify the HDV genotype. Results: The CLIA assay was 100% sensitive and 98% specific. Out of 925 patients 3.7% tested seropositive for HDV, and HDV viremia was confirmed in 2.0%. The majority of patients had a non-Dutch background and did not speak English or Dutch. We detected HDV genotype 5 (N = 3), and genotype 1 (N = 15). Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated HDV1 clusters composed of sub-Saharan Africa isolates, central Asian, Turkish, Iranian and European isolates. Conclusions: The prevalence of HDV infection in a tertiary center in the Netherlands was 2.0% among HBsAg-positive individuals, and mainly in non-Dutch individuals. Only HDV genotype 1 and 5 isolates were detected, which was found to match with the patient's country of origin.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 104870 |
| Journal | Journal of Clinical Virology |
| Volume | 141 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Aug 2021 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:We thank our experienced technician (Tim Rugenbrink, Department of Virology, and Erasmus MC University Medical Center) for the assistance with the molecular analysis. This study was supported by the European-Latin American ESCALON consortium, funded by the EU Horizon 2020 program, project number 825510 and was sponsored by the Foundation for Liver and Gastrointestinal Research (SLO).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 The Authors
