DETECTION OF HEPATITIS D VIRUS IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC HEPATITIS B FROM SOUTH AMERICA

PISANO M B,; RÉ V.; CARRERA ENRIQUE, ; BALDERRAMO DOMINGO; PRIETO JHON, ; DÍAZ-FERRER JAVIER,; ARRESE MARCO; MATTOS ANGELO Z; DEBES, JOSÉ;; ANDRE BOONSTRA

CABA

Congreso; XXVII Congreso de la Asociación Latinoamericana para el estudio de Hígado (ALEH- 2022); 2022

Asociación Latinoamericana para el estudio de Hígado

INTRODUCTION: Worldwide, there is incomplete information about the epidemiology of hepatitis D virus (HDV), a hepatotropic satellite pathogen with a RNA genome, which requires the hepatitis B virus (HBV) as a collaborating agent for its transmission and spread. HDV genotypes have a defined geographical distribution. Very few studies have been carried out in South America.OBJECTIVES: The aim of this work was to study the circulation of HDV in subjects with chronic HBV from South America. METHODS: We studied 38 samples obtained between 2019 and 2021 from individuals chronically infected with HBV by assessing the ESCALON network (a cross-sectional and prospective study addressing hepatobiliary disease in South America). Samples were from Argentina (n=12), Peru (n=11), Colombia (n=4), Ecuador (n=4), Chile (n=4), and Brazil (n=3). Total anti-HDV antibody detection was performed using the Liaison XL Murex anti-HDV kit (DiaSorin). Positive samples were subjected to viral RNA detection by RT-PCR, and genotyped by Sanger sequencing. RESULTS: Median age was 59 years old (IQR 48.5-67.3); 75% of the individuals were males and 25% females. Three samples resulted positive for anti-HDV antibody detection (8%). Two of them, from Colombia and Chile, belonged to individuals with cirrhosis, while the third one, from Ecuador, originated from an individual with hepatocelular carcinoma (HCC). This sample could be amplified by RT-PCR, corresponding to a 44 years-old male. The sequencing showed HDV genotype 3. CONCLUSIONS: The results show circulation of HDV in South America, with a prevalence close to that estimated by the WHO (5%). The detections were performed in patients with severe liver disease, likely secondary to the presence of the 2 viral agents (HDV+HBV). Although our cohort is small, its strength lies on the geographical amplitude of the samples (6 countries). The study remains active and expected to substantially increase the sample size over the coming year.