TY - JOUR
T1 - Loss of antibodies to hepatitis E virus in organ transplant patients with hepatitis E
AU - Oshiro, Yukio
AU - Harada, Hiroshi
AU - Hasegawa, Kiyoshi
AU - Akutsu, Naotake
AU - Yoshizumi, Tomoharu
AU - Kawagishi, Naoki
AU - Nanmoku, Koji
AU - Ichimaru, Naotsugu
AU - Okamura, Kenichi
AU - Ohira, Masahiro
AU - Itabashi, Yoshihiro
AU - Fujiyama, Nobuhiro
AU - Ide, Kentaro
AU - Okajima, Hideaki
AU - Ogawa, Kohei
AU - Takagi, Kosei
AU - Eguchi, Hidetoshi
AU - Shinoda, Masahiro
AU - Nishida, Kiyotaka
AU - Shimazaki, Jiro
AU - Shimoda, Mitsugi
AU - Takahashi, Masaharu
AU - Okamoto, Hiroaki
AU - Suzuki, Shuji
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was supported by the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED) (Grant Number JP19fk0210043). The authors declare no conflicts of interest. We would like to thank Editage for English language editing.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 The Japan Society of Hepatology
PY - 2021/5
Y1 - 2021/5
N2 - Aim: Studies regarding changes in antibodies to hepatitis E virus (HEV) after HEV infection in organ transplant patients are limited. This study aimed to clarify HEV infection trends in organ transplant patients who contracted HEV using data from a previous Japanese nationwide survey. Methods: This study was undertaken from 2012 to 2019. Among 4518 liver, heart, and kidney transplant patients, anti-HEV immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies were positive in 164; data were collected from 106 of these patients, who consented to participate in the study. In total, 32 liver transplant patients, seven heart transplant patients, and 67 kidney transplant patients from 16 institutions in Japan were examined for IgG, IgM, and IgM antibodies to HEV and the presence of HEV RNA in the serum. The χ2-test was used to determine the relationship between the early and late postinfection groups in patients with anti-HEV IgG positive-to-negative conversion rates. The Mann–Whitney U-test was used to compare clinical factors. Results: Anti-HEV IgG positive-to-negative conversion occurred in 25 (23.6%) of 106 organ transplant patients. Of eight patients with hepatitis E who tested positive for HEV RNA, one (14.0%) had anti-HEV IgG positive-to-negative conversion. Twenty-four (24.5%) of 98 patients negative for HEV RNA had anti-HEV IgG positive-to-negative conversion. Conclusions: This study revealed, for the first time, the changes in HEV antibodies in organ transplant patients. Loss of anti-HEV IgG could often occur unexpectedly in organ transplant patients with previous HEV infection.
AB - Aim: Studies regarding changes in antibodies to hepatitis E virus (HEV) after HEV infection in organ transplant patients are limited. This study aimed to clarify HEV infection trends in organ transplant patients who contracted HEV using data from a previous Japanese nationwide survey. Methods: This study was undertaken from 2012 to 2019. Among 4518 liver, heart, and kidney transplant patients, anti-HEV immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies were positive in 164; data were collected from 106 of these patients, who consented to participate in the study. In total, 32 liver transplant patients, seven heart transplant patients, and 67 kidney transplant patients from 16 institutions in Japan were examined for IgG, IgM, and IgM antibodies to HEV and the presence of HEV RNA in the serum. The χ2-test was used to determine the relationship between the early and late postinfection groups in patients with anti-HEV IgG positive-to-negative conversion rates. The Mann–Whitney U-test was used to compare clinical factors. Results: Anti-HEV IgG positive-to-negative conversion occurred in 25 (23.6%) of 106 organ transplant patients. Of eight patients with hepatitis E who tested positive for HEV RNA, one (14.0%) had anti-HEV IgG positive-to-negative conversion. Twenty-four (24.5%) of 98 patients negative for HEV RNA had anti-HEV IgG positive-to-negative conversion. Conclusions: This study revealed, for the first time, the changes in HEV antibodies in organ transplant patients. Loss of anti-HEV IgG could often occur unexpectedly in organ transplant patients with previous HEV infection.
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U2 - 10.1111/hepr.13637
DO - 10.1111/hepr.13637
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85103624980
SN - 1386-6346
VL - 51
SP - 538
EP - 547
JO - Hepatology Research
JF - Hepatology Research
IS - 5
ER -
