L15 - Viral hepatitis Flashcards
Hepatitis definition
A diffuse necroinflammatory disease of the liver
Hepatitis clinical presentations
- pain over the R hypochondrium
- Fever
- Loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting
- Jaundice (sclera & skin), pale stools, dark urine.
- Elevated liver enzymes
- alanine aminotransferase
- aspartate aminotransferase
Aetiology of acute hepatitis
1) Infections:
i) Viral infection
- Hepatitis A, B, C, D, E Viruses
- Epstein-Barr virus
- Cytomegalovirus
- Yellow fever virus (South America & Africa)
- Echovirus
- Ebola virus
- Varicella
ii) Bacterial Infection
- leptospirosis
- Q fever
iii) Parasitic Infection
2) Toxins and Drugs
- e.g. Alcoholism
3) Autoimmune diseases
- e.g. autoimmune hepatitis
4) Metabolic diseases
- e.g. Wilson’s disease
(5) Obeisity ?)
Infectious hepatitis (viral)
An older terminology used to classify viral hepatitis transmitted via the faecal-oral route (i.e. HAV & HEV)
serum hepatitis (viral)
An older terminology used to classify viral hepatitis transmitted via the blod-borne route
i.e. HBV (with HDV) & HCV
Non-A non-B hepatitis
A dated terminology used to denote syndrome of acute viral hepatitis occurring without the serologic markers of hepatitis A or B
- includes hepatitis C and hepatitis E.
Non-ABCDE hepatitis
- A syndrome of acute viral hepatitis occurring without the serologic markers of hepatitis A, B, C, D or E
- Also known as seronegative hepatitis
Hepatitis B virology
- A hepadnavirus
- Causes hepatitis
- 8 genotypes (A to H)
Genome:
- Contains DNA genomes
- Small genome with 3200 nucleotides
- Utilizes limited genome to maximal effect - with overlapping Open Reading Frames (4 ORF that translate to 7 proteins)
- DNA genomes are replicated via an RNA intermediate. In other words, their replication involves reverse transcription
Structure:
(from innermost to outermost)
1) (+)-DNA & (-)-DNA encased
2) capsid
3) Outer envelope membrane
HBV Replication
1.1) Attachment: virus attach to hepatocyte surface receptors
1.2) Entry:
- Virus is endocytosed then the nucleocapsid is released from the endosome.
- The nucleocapsid is shown entering the nucleus
- The viral DNA ligated to form covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA)
2) Transcription
- cccDNA is the template for transcription
- transcripted to RNAs which are then exported out of the nucleus
3) Translation
- 7 types of viral proteins are translated with overlapping ORFs based on mRNAs
4) Genome synthesis
- The RNAs, through reverse transcription, produce (-)-DNA and (+)-DNA
5) Packing & Export
- Nucleocapsids & virus formed
Serological markers of HBV
1) HBV antigens
i) HBsAg
ii) HBcAg
iii) HBeAg
2) Antibody against HBV antigens
i) Anti HBs
ii) Anti HBc
iii) Anti HBe
3) HBV DNA
HBsAg & Anti HBs & Acute infection
HBsAg:
- the first serological marker detectable after a HBV infection
- remains detectable during the entire icteric or symptomatic phase in acute hepatitis B
- The prominence can be explained as there is an excess production of envelope protein, leading to non-infectious envelope protein aggregates in filamentous or spherical form, which are released and detected in blood
- becomes undetectable 1 to 2 months after the onset of jaundice and rarely persists beyond 6 months
Anti-HBs
- After HBsAg disappears, antibody to HBsAg (anti-HBs) becomes detectable in serum and remains detectable indefinitely thereafter. Level will gradually decrease
- occasionally a gap of several weeks or longer may separate the disappearance of HBsAg and the appearance of anti-HBs
HBcAg & Anti HBc & Acute infection
HBcAg:
- Because HBcAg is sequestered within an HBsAg coat, HBcAg is not detectable routinely in HBV infection
Anti HBc:
- readily demonstrable in serum
- beginning within the first 1 to 2 weeks after the appearance of HBsAg and preceding detectable levels of anti- HBs
- IgM anti-HBc predominates during the first 6 months after acute infection, whereas IgG anti-HBc is the predominant class of anti-HBc beyond 6 months
HBeAg & Anti HBe & Acute infection
HBeAg:
- appears shortly after appearance of HBsAg
- disappears shortly before disappearance of HBsAg
- Reflects high levels of virus replication and the presence of circulating intact virions and detectable HBV DNA
- Qualitative marker
Anti HBe:
- appears after appearance of HBeAg and persists
- indicates low level of viral replication
HB DNA & acute infection
HBV DNA:
- a quantitative marker of the replicative phase of HBV
Serological differentiation of recent or past HBV infection
In patients with current or recent acute hepatitis B (including those in the anti-HBc window) have IgM anti-HBc in their serum.
In patients who have recovered from hepatitis B in the remote past as well as those with chronic HBV infection, IgG anti-HBc is predominant
[Anti-HBc of the IgM class (IgM anti-HBc) predominates during the first 6 months after acute infection, whereas IgG anti-HBc is the predominant class of anti-HBc beyond 6 months]
Serological appraisal of viral replication activity
HBeAg
- a qualitative marker for active replication phase of HBV
- HBeAg positive indicates high level of replication
Anti HBe
- a qualitative marker indicating nonreplicative phase of HBV
- low level of virus
HBV DNA
- a quantitative marker for active replication phase of HBV
Serological differentiation between natural HBV infection & vaccination
Given the infection and vaccination are not recent:
Natural infection:
- Anti HBc positive
- Anti HBs positive (negative if infection very long past)
Vaccination immunity:
- Only Anti HBs positive
Chronic hepatitis B infection overview
Defintion: HBsAg Positive > 6 months
- accounts for < 10% of adult infections
- accounts for > 90% of newborn infections
- common following infection of immunocompromised
Chronic HBV carrier serology
- HBsAg remains detectable beyond 6 months
- anti-HBc is primarily of the IgG class
- anti-HBs is either undetectable or detectable at low levels (i.e. no seroconversion to anti HBs)
- HBeAg remains high in the replication stage of HBV
- Seroconversion to Anti HBe noted when HBV enters nonreplicative phase, indicating low level viral replication
- HBV DNA is a quantitative marker of HBV replicative phase
[- nonreplicative HBV infection may convert back to replicative infection. Such spontaneous reactivations are accompanied by reexpression of HBeAg and HBV DNA, and sometimes of IgM anti- HBc]