Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt.
Microbiology and Immunology Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Sphinx University, Assiut, Egypt.
Virulence. 2021 Dec;12(1):1334-1344. doi: 10.1080/21505594.2021.1922027.
HEV-Ag ELISA assay is a reliable diagnostic test in resource-limited areas. HEV genotype 1 (HEV-1) infections are either self-limited or progress to fulminant hepatic failure (FHF) and death if anti-HEV therapy is delayed. Limited data is available about the diagnostic utility of HEV Ag on HEV-1 infections. Herein wWe aimed to study the kinetics of HEV Ag during HEV-1 infections at different stages, i.e., acute HEV infection, recovery, and progression to FHF. Also, we evaluated the diagnostic utility of this marker to predict the outcomes of HEV-1 infections. Plasma of acute hepatitis E (AHE) patients were assessed for HEV RNA by RT-qPCR, HEV Ag, and anti-HEV IgM by ELISA. The kinetics of HEV Ag was monitored at different time points; acute phase of infection, recovery, FHF stage, and post-recovery. Our results showed that the level of HEV Ag was elevated in AHE patients with a significantly higher level in FHF patients than recovered patients. We identified a plasma HEV Ag threshold that can differentiate between self-limiting infection and FHF progression with 100% sensitivity and 88.89% specificity. HEV Ag and HEV RNA have similar kinetics during the acute phase and self-limiting infection. In the FHF stage, HEV Ag and anti-HEV IgM have similar patterns of kinetics which could be the cause of liver damage. In conclusion, the HEV Ag assay can be used as a biomarker for predicting the consequences of HEV-1 infections which could be diagnostically useful for taking the appropriate measures to reduce the complications, especially for high-risk groups.
HEV-Ag ELISA 检测法在资源有限的地区是一种可靠的诊断检测方法。HEV 基因型 1(HEV-1)感染如果没有及时接受抗 HEV 治疗,要么自行缓解,要么发展为暴发性肝衰竭(FHF)并导致死亡。目前关于 HEV Ag 在 HEV-1 感染中的诊断价值的数据有限。本研究旨在研究不同阶段(急性 HEV 感染、恢复和进展为 FHF)HEV-1 感染期间 HEV Ag 的动力学变化。此外,我们还评估了该标志物对预测 HEV-1 感染结局的诊断价值。通过 RT-qPCR、ELISA 检测急性戊型肝炎(AHE)患者的血浆 HEV RNA、HEV Ag 和抗-HEV IgM。在不同时间点监测 HEV Ag 的动力学变化:感染急性期、恢复期、FHF 期和恢复期后。结果显示,AHE 患者的 HEV Ag 水平升高,且 FHF 患者的水平明显高于恢复患者。我们确定了一个血浆 HEV Ag 阈值,可以 100%的灵敏度和 88.89%的特异性区分自限性感染和 FHF 进展。HEV Ag 和 HEV RNA 在急性和自限性感染期间具有相似的动力学。在 FHF 阶段,HEV Ag 和抗-HEV IgM 具有相似的动力学模式,这可能是肝损伤的原因。总之,HEV Ag 检测法可用作预测 HEV-1 感染后果的生物标志物,对于采取适当措施减少并发症(特别是高危人群)可能具有诊断价值。