Hepatitis E Virus Infections among Patients with Acute Febrile Jaundice in Burkina Faso
Chloé Dimeglio,
Dramane Kania,
Judith Mbombi Mantono,
Thérèse Kagoné,
Sylvie Zida,
Souleymane Tassembedo,
Amadou Dicko,
Bachirou Tinto,
Seydou Yaro,
Hervé Hien,
Jérémi Rouamba,
Brice Bicaba,
Isaïe Medah,
Nicolas Meda,
Oumar Traoré,
Edouard Tuaillon,
Florence Abravanel,
Jacques Izopet
Affiliations
Chloé Dimeglio
Laboratoire de virologie, Centre national de référence du virus de l’hépatite E, CHU Toulouse, Hôpital Purpan, 31300 Toulouse, France
Dramane Kania
Centre MURAZ, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
Judith Mbombi Mantono
Centre MURAZ, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
Thérèse Kagoné
Centre MURAZ, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
Sylvie Zida
Centre MURAZ, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
Souleymane Tassembedo
Centre MURAZ, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
Amadou Dicko
Centre MURAZ, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
Bachirou Tinto
Centre MURAZ, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
Seydou Yaro
Centre MURAZ, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
Hervé Hien
Centre MURAZ, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
Jérémi Rouamba
Centre MURAZ, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
Brice Bicaba
Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé (IRSS), Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
Isaïe Medah
Ministère de la Santé, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
Nicolas Meda
Ministère de la Santé, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
Oumar Traoré
Agence nationale de biosécurité, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
Edouard Tuaillon
Pathogenesis and Control of Chronic Infections., Etablissement Français du Sang, CHU Montpellier, INSERM, University of Montpellier, 34090 Montpellier, France
Florence Abravanel
Laboratoire de virologie, Centre national de référence du virus de l’hépatite E, CHU Toulouse, Hôpital Purpan, 31300 Toulouse, France
Jacques Izopet
Laboratoire de virologie, Centre national de référence du virus de l’hépatite E, CHU Toulouse, Hôpital Purpan, 31300 Toulouse, France
Hepatitis E virus infection is a significant public health problem in many parts of the world including Africa. We tested serum samples from 900 patients in Burkina Faso presenting with febrile icterus. They all tested negative for yellow fever, but those from 23/900 (2.6%) patients contained markers of acute HEV infection (anti-HEV IgM and HEV RNA positive). Genotyping indicated that 14 of the strains were HEV genotype 2b. There was an overall HEV IgG seroprevalence of 18.2% (164/900). In a bivariate analysis, the factors linked to HEV exposure were climate and patient age. Older patients and those living in arid regions were more likely to have HEV infection. HEV genotype 2b circulating only in humans can be involved in some acute febrile icterus cases in Burkina Faso. Better access to safe water, sanitation, and improved personal hygiene should improve control of HEV infection in this country.
