BACKGROUND: Hepatitis D virus (HDV), a defective RNA virus which depends on hepatitis B virus (HBV) for its replication and expression, appears to be highly pathogenic and modifies the natural history of HBV infection. Two types of infection, co-infection and super-infection are recognised. During infection, anti-delta antibodies appear in serum and can be detected by Enzyme linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). OBJECTIVE: We determined the prevalence of hepatitis D infection amongst HBsAg-positive patients with HBV-related liver diseases in Accra, Ghana using an Enzyme linked Immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. METHODS: We collected blood samples from 53 patients with hepatitis B-related liver diseases. The sera were analysed using a commercially available kit, the EIA-ANTI-HDV, a third generation ELISA kit (Globe Diagnostics, Italy). RESULTS: There were 39 males (73.6%) and 14 females (26.4%) giving a male:female ratio of about 3:1.The mean age of patients was 38.6 years (range, 15-75). Six patients were reactive for anti-delta antibodies, yielding a HDV sero-prevalence of 11.3%. A higher proportion of males were anti-HDV positive (9.4%) compared to females (1.9%) but the difference was not statistically significant (p=0.350). Anti-HDV was detected in 4(22.2%) patients with chronic hepatitis B, 1(7.6%) with cirrhosis of the liver and 1(5.3%) with hepatocellular carcinoma. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of HDV infection amongst patients with liver disease in Accra with HBV-related liver diseases appears to be high compared to developed countries but similar to several developing countries. No significant difference exists in gender prevalences. A concerted public health effort is required to reduce this high prevalence rate.
BACKGROUND:Hepatitis D virus (HDV), a defective RNA virus which depends on hepatitis B virus (HBV) for its replication and expression, appears to be highly pathogenic and modifies the natural history of HBV infection. Two types of infection, co-infection and super-infection are recognised. During infection, anti-delta antibodies appear in serum and can be detected by Enzyme linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). OBJECTIVE: We determined the prevalence of hepatitis D infection amongst HBsAg-positive patients with HBV-related liver diseases in Accra, Ghana using an Enzyme linked Immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. METHODS: We collected blood samples from 53 patients with hepatitis B-related liver diseases. The sera were analysed using a commercially available kit, the EIA-ANTI-HDV, a third generation ELISA kit (Globe Diagnostics, Italy). RESULTS: There were 39 males (73.6%) and 14 females (26.4%) giving a male:female ratio of about 3:1.The mean age of patients was 38.6 years (range, 15-75). Six patients were reactive for anti-delta antibodies, yielding a HDV sero-prevalence of 11.3%. A higher proportion of males were anti-HDV positive (9.4%) compared to females (1.9%) but the difference was not statistically significant (p=0.350). Anti-HDV was detected in 4(22.2%) patients with chronic hepatitis B, 1(7.6%) with cirrhosis of the liver and 1(5.3%) with hepatocellular carcinoma. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of HDV infection amongst patients with liver disease in Accra with HBV-related liver diseases appears to be high compared to developed countries but similar to several developing countries. No significant difference exists in gender prevalences. A concerted public health effort is required to reduce this high prevalence rate.
Authors: Kobina Assan Ampah; Carlos Augusto Pinho-Nascimento; Sarah Kerber; Prince Asare; Daniel De-Graft; Frank Adu-Nti; Izabel C N P Paixão; Christian Niel; Dorothy Yeboah-Manu; Gerd Pluschke; Katharina Röltgen Journal: PLoS One Date: 2016-06-06 Impact factor: 3.240
Authors: Alexander J Stockdale; Mas Chaponda; Apostolos Beloukas; Richard Odame Phillips; Philippa C Matthews; Athanasios Papadimitropoulos; Simon King; Laura Bonnett; Anna Maria Geretti Journal: Lancet Glob Health Date: 2017-10 Impact factor: 26.763