Hepatitis B Virus Exposure, Seroprotection Status, and Susceptibility in Health Care Workers From Lao People's Democratic Republic: Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Despite the high prevalence of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in adults in Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), Lao health care workers (HCWs) have previously been shown to have low levels of protection against infection. Furthermore, the prevalence of hepatitis D virus (HDV), which increases disease severity in individuals infected with HBV, is not known in Lao PDR.

Objective: This study aimed to estimate the exposure and seroprotection against HBV, as well as exposure to HDV, in Lao HCWs from 5 provinces.

A US-Based Multi-Site Pilot to Screen Hepatitis B Surface Antigen-Positive Patients for Hepatitis D.

Hepatitis D (HDV) is a severe infection with well-recognised clinical ramifications that remains relatively neglected and underdiagnosed; consequently, the epidemiology of HDV is poorly characterised, both in the United States and globally. In 2022, a pilot project involving eight healthcare institutions was undertaken to ascertain the prevalence of HDV in healthcare institutions with an HBV seropositivity of at least 1%, describe the characteristics of patients testing positive for HDV, and evaluate diagnostic and laboratory processes of HDV screening. From August 2022 to April 2024, a total of 106,693 patients were tested for HBsAg, of whom 65,341 (61.

Antiviral therapy for chronic hepatitis delta: new insights from clinical trials and real-life studies.

Chronic hepatitis D (CHD) is the most severe form of viral hepatitis, carrying a greater risk of developing cirrhosis and its complications. For decades, pegylated interferon alpha (PegIFN-α) has represented the only therapeutic option, with limited virological response rates and poor tolerability. In 2020, the European Medicines Agency approved bulevirtide (BLV) at 2 mg/day, an entry inhibitor of hepatitis B virus (HBV)/hepatitis delta virus (HDV), which proved to be safe and effective as a monotherapy for up to 144 weeks in clinical trials and real-life studies, including patients with cirrhosis.

Bulevirtide Monotherapy Is Safe and Well Tolerated in Chronic Hepatitis Delta: An Integrated Safety Analysis of Bulevirtide Clinical Trials at Week 48.

Background And Aims: The safety and tolerability of bulevirtide (BLV), a novel entry inhibitor of hepatitis delta virus, were evaluated in an integrated analysis of clinical trial results from patients with chronic hepatitis delta (CHD).

Methods: Week 48 on-treatment clinical and laboratory results from two Phase 2 trials (MYR203 [NCT02888106] and MYR204 [NCT03852433]) and one Phase 3 trial (MYR301 [NCT03852719]) were pooled (N = 269). Patients were grouped as follows: BLV 2 mg (n = 64), BLV 10 mg (n = 115), pegylated interferon-alfa (n = 39) and control (n = 51).

Multisociety consensus recommendations on hepatitis delta virus infection.

Hepatitis D virus (HDV) prevalence data and country-specific HDV guidelines are not widely available in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states. We developed consensus recommendations to guide healthcare professionals, policymakers, and researchers in improving HDV management and patient health outcomes in three GCC states: Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. A consensus panel comprising hepatology experts (n = 6) from the three GCC societies was formed.

Laboratory development of an RNA quantitative RT-PCR assay reporting in international units for hepatitis D virus.

Introduction: Chronic hepatitis D virus (HDV) is associated with rapid progression to severe liver disease. Co-infection with HDV and hepatitis B virus is likely underdiagnosed due to challenges in diagnostic test availability and standardization. With new HDV antiviral options, HDV RNA quantification is essential for understanding the patient response to treatment.

Successful Amendment of an Existing Hepatitis B Screening Programme by a Guideline Recommended Hepatitis D Screening in the Primary Care Setting.

Background: Despite European guidelines recommending anti-hepatitis D virus (HDV) screening for all hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive cases, screening rates remain insufficient.

Aims: We analysed anti-HDV screening rates in primary care and implemented prospective HDV screening in HBsAg-positive cases identified in the preventive medical examination from the age of 35 ("Check-Up 35+").

Methods: From 2012 to 2021, we reviewed anti-HDV and HDV RNA test rates in HBsAg-positive patients at 11 sites of a large German laboratory group.

Editorial: Epidemiology and Control of Hepatitis Viruses.

Five hepatitis viruses-hepatitis A (HAV), hepatitis B (HBV), hepatitis C (HCV), hepatitis D (HDV), and hepatitis E (HEV)-have a huge impact on human health with their ability to cause acute and often chronic infection [...

Bulevirtide Treatment of Hepatitis Delta Virus Infection in a Kidney Transplant Recipient: A Case Report.

Objectives: Hepatitis delta virus infection poses a significant challenge in solid-organ transplant recipients due to its aggressive nature and limited therapeutic options. Bulevirtide is a novel antiviral agent approved by the European Medicines Agency in 2020 for the treatment of hepatitis delta virus infection, but limited data are available on its use in solid-organ transplant recipients.

Materials And Methods: We present a case report of a 42-year-old male kidney transplant patient with coinfection of hepatitis B virus and hepatitis delta virus who was treated with bulevirtide over a 6-month period.

OPTI-HEP-D: a protocol for an intervention study comprising screening and linkage to care of people living with hepatitis D in Catalonia.

Introduction: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) affects 296 million people globally, causing 780 000 annual deaths. It has been estimated that 12-43 million individuals are co-infected with hepatitis D virus (HDV). In Spain, the prevalence of HBsAg in adults is 0.

Hepatitis B and D virus entry.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) entry is the initial step of viral infection, leading to the formation of covalently closed circular DNA, which is a molecular reservoir of viral persistence and a key obstacle for HBV cure. The restricted entry of HBV into specific cell types determines the nature of HBV, which has a narrow host range in tissues and species. Hepatitis D virus (HDV) shares viral surface antigens with HBV and thus follows a similar entry mechanism at its early stages.

Virological markers for clinical trials in chronic viral hepatitis.

Chronic hepatitis virus infections remain a major public health problem, despite significant therapeutic advances over the past two decades. Considerable progress has been made in the treatment of chronic viral hepatitis, but continued efforts are needed to develop and bring to market new drugs to fill the gaps in the current therapeutic armamentarium. Thus, clinical trials to assess the safety and efficacy of these new therapeutic approaches, including the selection of reliable and objective treatment endpoints, are still needed.

Reflex testing for anti-HDV in HBsAg-positive patients offers high diagnostic yield in a large Central European tertiary care center.

Current guidelines recommend reflex testing for hepatitis D virus (HDV) coinfection in hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive patients over risk-factor based screening. We aimed to evaluate the feasibility and diagnostic yield of reflex anti-HDV testing at a Central European tertiary care center. We retrospectively included 560 consecutive patients who had a recorded (first) positive HBsAg test result at the Vienna General Hospital between 2018 and 2022.

Hepatitis Delta Virus Testing and Prevalence Among Chronic Hepatitis B Patients Across Three U.S. Safety-net Health Systems.

Background & Aims: Despite a high prevalence of risk factors associated with hepatitis delta virus (HDV) infection among safety-net populations, data evaluating HDV testing and prevalence are limited. We aim to evaluate HDV testing practices and HDV prevalence among an ethnically diverse, multi-center cohort of safety-net patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB).

Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 13,218 patients with CHB (54.

Hepatitis Delta Virus Clade 8 Is the Predominant Clade Circulating in Botswana amongst People Living with HIV.

Hepatitis delta virus (HDV) co-infections more often result in severe hepatitis compared to hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections alone. Despite a high HDV prevalence (7.1%), information regarding circulating HDV clades is very limited in Botswana.