The Prevalence and Molecular Epidemiology of Hepatitis Delta Virus in Nigeria: The Results of a Nationwide Study
Ijeoma M. Ifeorah,
Athenais Gerber,
Samira Dziri,
Solomon A. Bakarey,
Frederic Le Gal,
Gatuwa Aglavdawa,
Chakib Alloui,
Stephen O. Kalu,
Peyou-Amed B. Ghapouen,
Segolene Brichler,
Olubusuyi M. Adewumi,
Emmanuel Gordien
Affiliations
Ijeoma M. Ifeorah
Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Faculty of Health Sciences and Technology, University of Nigeria Enugu Campus, Enugu 200241, Nigeria
Athenais Gerber
Centre National de Référence des Hépatites B, C et Delta, Laboratoire de Microbiologie Clinique, Hôpital-Avicenne, Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris, Université Sorbonne Paris Cité, 93000 Bobigny, France
Samira Dziri
Centre National de Référence des Hépatites B, C et Delta, Laboratoire de Microbiologie Clinique, Hôpital-Avicenne, Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris, Université Sorbonne Paris Cité, 93000 Bobigny, France
Solomon A. Bakarey
Institute for Advanced Medical Research and Training, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan 200212, Nigeria
Frederic Le Gal
Centre National de Référence des Hépatites B, C et Delta, Laboratoire de Microbiologie Clinique, Hôpital-Avicenne, Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris, Université Sorbonne Paris Cité, 93000 Bobigny, France
Gatuwa Aglavdawa
Department of Hematology and Blood Transfusion, Federal Teaching Hospital Gombe, Gombe 620261, Nigeria
Chakib Alloui
Centre National de Référence des Hépatites B, C et Delta, Laboratoire de Microbiologie Clinique, Hôpital-Avicenne, Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris, Université Sorbonne Paris Cité, 93000 Bobigny, France
Stephen O. Kalu
Medical Microbiology and Parasitology Department, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital Nnewi, Nnewi 431101, Nigeria
Peyou-Amed B. Ghapouen
Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Taraba State University Jalingo, Jalingo 930283, Nigeria
Segolene Brichler
Centre National de Référence des Hépatites B, C et Delta, Laboratoire de Microbiologie Clinique, Hôpital-Avicenne, Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris, Université Sorbonne Paris Cité, 93000 Bobigny, France
Olubusuyi M. Adewumi
Department of Virology, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan 200212, Nigeria
Emmanuel Gordien
Centre National de Référence des Hépatites B, C et Delta, Laboratoire de Microbiologie Clinique, Hôpital-Avicenne, Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris, Université Sorbonne Paris Cité, 93000 Bobigny, France
Hepatitis delta virus (HDV) is a satellite of hepatitis B virus (HBV), which requires the HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) for its assembly and propagation. Although countries affected by HBV infection in Africa are well identified, data on HDV infection are still scarce, like in Nigeria, where HBV infection is endemic. In this study, we aimed to determine the prevalence of HDV infection and identify the circulating genotypes/strains in the country. A nationwide study was performed on 1281 HBsAg-positive samples collected from patients across eleven sites drawn from the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria. Anti-HDV antibody (HDV-Ab) screening and HDV-RNA viral load quantification were performed using a commercial ELISA assay and real-time RT-PCR kit, respectively. HDV genotyping was performed by the Sanger sequencing of amplicons from the so-called R0 region of the viral genome, followed by phylogenetic analyses. Of the 1281 HBsAg-positive samples, 61 (4.8%) were HDV-Ab positive, among which, 12 (19.7%) were HDV-RNA positive. Genotypes were obtained for nine of them: seven “African” HDV-1, one “Asian/European” HDV-1 and one HDV-6. This study shows that Nigeria is a country of low HDV prevalence where mainly “African” genotype-1 strains are circulating.