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. 2022 May 18;14(5):1085.
doi: 10.3390/v14051085.

Hepatitis B Virus Infection among Japanese Immigrants and Descendants: The Need to Strengthen Preventive and Control Measures

Luiz Henrique Ferraz Demarchi  1 , Larissa Melo Bandeira  2 , Deborah Ledesma Taira  1 , Marina Castilhos Souza Umaki Zardin  1 , Mary Luizia Ibanhes  1 , Ana Olivia Pascoto Esposito  1 , Larissa Domingues Castilho De Arruda  3 , Crhistinne Cavalheiro Maymone Gonçalves  3 , Sabrina Moreira Dos Santos Weis-Torres  2 , Gabriela Alves Cesar  2 , Rivaldo Venâncio Da Cunha  4 , Tayana Serpa Ortiz Tanaka  2 , Marco Antonio Moreira Puga  2 , Grazielli Rocha De Rezende  2 , Roberta Barbosa Lopes  5 , Silvia Naomi de Oliveira Uehara  2 , João Renato Rebello Pinho  6 , Flair Jose Carrilho  6 , Michele Soares Gomes-Gouvêa  6 , Ana Rita Coimbra Motta-Castro  2   7
Affiliations

Hepatitis B Virus Infection among Japanese Immigrants and Descendants: The Need to Strengthen Preventive and Control Measures

Luiz Henrique Ferraz Demarchi et al. Viruses. .

Abstract

This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of Hepatitis B virus infection among Japanese immigrants and their descendants from São Paulo (SP), and to verify the occurrence of occult hepatitis B and coinfection with HCV, Delta, and HTLV. All samples (n = 2.127) were tested for HBV serological markers by electrochemiluminescence. HBsAg and/or total anti-HBc positive samples were tested for HBV DNA by real-time PCR, and genotyped by sequencing using the Sanger methodology. The prevalence rate of HBV exposure was 13.4% (CI 95%: 11.9-14.9%), and 22 (1.1%) were HBsAg positive. A high rate of susceptibility to HBV infection was found (67.4%; CI 95%: 65.4-69.4%). In contrast, only 19.2% (CI 95%: 17.6-20.9%) presented a serological profile analogous to that elicited by Hepatitis B vaccination. HBV isolates (n = 8) were classified as genotypes HBV/B1 (62.5%), HBV/C2 (12.5%), HBV/F1b (12.5%), and HBV/A1 (12.5%). Hepatitis B vaccination strategies and educational measures to control this infection should be considered.

Keywords: Hepatitis B; epidemiology; genotype; seroprevalence.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
HBV serological profile among Japanese immigrants and their descendants according to age (years), Brazil (n = 2.127).
Figure 2
Figure 2
The maximum clade credibility (MCC) tree estimated by Bayesian analysis of S/POL sequences with 1270 bp of HBV strains characterized from Japanese immigrants and descendants living in São Paulo, Brazil. For better visualization, only clades of HBV/B1 and C2 are shown in this figure. Sequences characterized in this study are in red; sequences obtained from GenBank (n = 306) are indicated by their corresponding accession number, genotype, and geographic origin. The values of posterior probability are shown for key nodes.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Pedigree of 12 families of index cases (HBsAg-positive) under study, São Paulo—SP.
Figure 4
Figure 4
The maximum clade credibility (MCC) tree estimated by Bayesian analysis of S/POL sequences with 1270 bp of HBV strains characterized from Japanese immigrants and descendants living in São Paulo, Brazil. For better visualization, only clades of HBV/A1 and F1b are shown in this figure. Sequences characterized in this study are in red; sequences obtained from GenBank (n = 306) are indicated by their corresponding accession number, genotype, and geographic origin. The values of posterior probability are shown for key nodes.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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