A Nationwide Survey of Hepatitis E Virus Infection and Chronic Hepatitis E in Liver Transplant Recipients in Japan

Yuki Inagaki; Yukio Oshiro; Tomohiro Tanaka; Tomoharu Yoshizumi; Hideaki Okajima; Kohei Ishiyama; Chikashi Nakanishi; Masaaki Hidaka; Hiroshi Wada; Taizo Hibi; Kosei Takagi; Masaki Honda; Kaori Kuramitsu; Hideaki Tanaka; Taiji Tohyama; Toshihiko Ikegami; Satoru Imura; Tsuyoshi Shimamura; Yoshimi Nakayama; Taizen Urahashi; Kazumasa Yamagishi; Hiroshi Ohnishi; Shigeo Nagashima; Masaharu Takahashi; Ken Shirabe; Norihiro Kokudo; Hiroaki Okamoto; Nobuhiro Ohkohchi

doi:10.1016/j.ebiom.2015.09.030

EBioMedicine (Nov 2015)

A Nationwide Survey of Hepatitis E Virus Infection and Chronic Hepatitis E in Liver Transplant Recipients in Japan

Yuki Inagaki,
Yukio Oshiro,
Tomohiro Tanaka,
Tomoharu Yoshizumi,
Hideaki Okajima,
Kohei Ishiyama,
Chikashi Nakanishi,
Masaaki Hidaka,
Hiroshi Wada,
Taizo Hibi,
Kosei Takagi,
Masaki Honda,
Kaori Kuramitsu,
Hideaki Tanaka,
Taiji Tohyama,
Toshihiko Ikegami,
Satoru Imura,
Tsuyoshi Shimamura,
Yoshimi Nakayama,
Taizen Urahashi,
Kazumasa Yamagishi,
Hiroshi Ohnishi,
Shigeo Nagashima,
Masaharu Takahashi,
Ken Shirabe,
Norihiro Kokudo,
Hiroaki Okamoto,
Nobuhiro Ohkohchi

Affiliations

Yuki Inagaki: Division of Gastroenterological and Hepatobiliary Surgery, and Organ Transplantation, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8575, Japan
Yukio Oshiro: Division of Gastroenterological and Hepatobiliary Surgery, and Organ Transplantation, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8575, Japan
Tomohiro Tanaka: Organ Transplantation Service, The University of Tokyo Hospital, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan
Tomoharu Yoshizumi: Department of Surgery and Science, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan
Hideaki Okajima: Division of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic and Transplant Surgery, Department of Surgery, Kyoto University Hospital, 54 Kawaharacho, Syogoin, Sakyu-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan
Kohei Ishiyama: Department of Gastroenterology and Metabolism, Division of Frontier Medical Science, Programs for Biomedical Research, Graduate School of Biomedical Science, Hiroshima University, 1-2-3 Kasumi, Minami-ku, Hiroshima 734-8551, Japan
Chikashi Nakanishi: Department of Transplantation, Reconstruction and Endoscopic Surgery, Tohoku University Hospital, 1-1 Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8574, Japan
Masaaki Hidaka: Department of Surgery, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 1-7-1 Sakamoto, Nagasaki 852-8501, Japan
Hiroshi Wada: Department of Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, 2-15 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
Taizo Hibi: Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Keio University, 35 Shinano-machi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-0016, Japan
Kosei Takagi: Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2-5-1 Shikada-machi, Kita-ku, Okayama 700-8558, Japan
Masaki Honda: Department of Transplantation and Pediatric Surgery, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kumamoto University, 1-1-1 Honjo, Kumamoto-shi, Kumamoto 860-8556, Japan
Kaori Kuramitsu: Division of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, 7-5-2 Kusunoki-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0017, Japan
Hideaki Tanaka: Department of Pediatric Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8575, Japan
Taiji Tohyama: Department of HPB and Breast Surgery, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Shitsukawa, To-on, Ehime 791-0295, Japan
Toshihiko Ikegami: Department of Transplant Surgery, Shinshu University, School of Medicine, 3-1-1 Asahi, Matsumoto, Nagano 390-8621, Japan
Satoru Imura: Department of Surgery, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University Graduate School, 3-18-15 Kuramoto-cho, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan
Tsuyoshi Shimamura: Division of Organ Transplantation, Hokkaido University Hospital, Kita 14, Jonishi 5-chome, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-8648, Japan
Yoshimi Nakayama: Department of Hepatobiliary Pancreatic Surgery, Juntendo University School of Medicine, 3-1-3 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8431, Japan
Taizen Urahashi: Department of Transplant Surgery, Jichi Medical University School of Medicine, 3311-1 Yakushiji, Shimotsuke, Tochigi 329-0498, Japan
Kazumasa Yamagishi: Department of Public Health Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8575, Japan
Hiroshi Ohnishi: Division of Virology, Department of Infection and Immunity, Jichi Medical University School of Medicine, 3311-1 Yakushiji, Shimotsuke, Tochigi 329-0498, Japan
Shigeo Nagashima: Division of Virology, Department of Infection and Immunity, Jichi Medical University School of Medicine, 3311-1 Yakushiji, Shimotsuke, Tochigi 329-0498, Japan
Masaharu Takahashi: Division of Virology, Department of Infection and Immunity, Jichi Medical University School of Medicine, 3311-1 Yakushiji, Shimotsuke, Tochigi 329-0498, Japan
Ken Shirabe: Department of Surgery and Science, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan
Norihiro Kokudo: Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery Division, Artificial Organ and Transplantation Division, Department of Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan
Hiroaki Okamoto: Division of Virology, Department of Infection and Immunity, Jichi Medical University School of Medicine, 3311-1 Yakushiji, Shimotsuke, Tochigi 329-0498, Japan
Nobuhiro Ohkohchi: Division of Gastroenterological and Hepatobiliary Surgery, and Organ Transplantation, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8575, Japan

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ebiom.2015.09.030
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 2, no. 11
pp. 1607 – 1612

Abstract

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Background: Recently, chronic hepatitis E has been increasingly reported in organ transplant recipients in European countries. In Japan, the prevalence of hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection after transplantation remains unclear, so we conducted a nationwide cross-sectional study to clarify the prevalence of chronic HEV infection in Japanese liver transplant recipients. Methods: A total of 1893 liver transplant recipients in 17 university hospitals in Japan were examined for the presence of immunoglobulin G (IgG), IgM and IgA classes of anti-HEV antibodies, and HEV RNA in serum. Findings: The prevalence of anti-HEV IgG, IgM and IgA class antibodies was 2.9% (54/1893), 0.05% (1/1893) and 0% (0/1893), respectively. Of 1651 patients tested for HEV RNA, two patients (0.12%) were found to be positive and developed chronic infection after liver transplantation. In both cases, HEV RNA was also detected in one of the blood products transfused at the perioperative period. Analysis of the HEV genomes revealed that the HEV isolates obtained from the recipients and the transfused blood products were identical in both cases, indicating transfusion-transmitted HEV infection. Interpretation: The prevalence of HEV antibodies in liver transplant recipients was 2.9%, which is low compared with the healthy population in Japan and with organ transplant recipients in European countries; however, the present study found, for the first time, two Japanese patients with chronic HEV infection that was acquired via blood transfusion during or after liver transplantation.

Published in EBioMedicine

ISSN: 2352-3964 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: Netherlands
LCC subjects: Medicine: Medicine (General)
Website: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/ebiomedicine/

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