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. 2022 Jul 8:9:909660.
doi: 10.3389/fmed.2022.909660. eCollection 2022.

Presumed Protective Role for Anti-Hepatitis B Virus Antibodies Against COVID-19 Severe Cases: A Clinical Study Confirming in silico Hypothesis

Mariem Gdoura  1   2   3 , Raoua Touati  1   2 , Sana Kalthoum  4 , Rania Ben Slama  1   2 , Nouel Fatnassi  2   4 , Mehdi Mrad  5 , Lamia Ammari  2   6 , Nozha Brahmi  7 , Amira Ben Jazia  7 , Nahed Hogga  1   2 , Henda Triki  1   2 , Sondes Haddad-Boubaker  1   2
Affiliations

Presumed Protective Role for Anti-Hepatitis B Virus Antibodies Against COVID-19 Severe Cases: A Clinical Study Confirming in silico Hypothesis

Mariem Gdoura et al. Front Med (Lausanne). .

Abstract

Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is responsible for COVID-19 disease which is known to have a broad clinical spectrum, from asymptomatic to critical presentation leading to death. Many researchers have investigated the factors impacting the course of the disease. Our previous in silico study suggested a possible protective effect of Hepatitis B, Tetanus and Measles vaccines against COVID-19. In continuity, we conducted a cross-sectional clinical study in order to confirm our in silico assumptions regarding the HBs-Ag antibodies.

Methods: A representative sex- and age-matched sample of patients with confirmed COVID-19 was selected (n = 340). All clinical presentations were equally represented. Using an ELISA test, each patient benefited of a serology for the detection and measurement of the anti-HBs specific IgG antibodies. The obtained results allowed determining the different correlations between these antibody titers and the disease severity. The R® software and the MedCalc® software served to calculate the Spearman's coefficient of rank correlation (rho) for the obtained titers per severity group as well as the different other calculations and figure representations.

Results: A significant positive correlation was found with the anti-HBs titers (rho = 0.107; p = 0.04). High anti-HBs titers were significantly associated with the mild presentation of COVID-19. A significant difference was found between the obtained titers per severity class (chi-2 test, p = 0.03).

Discussion/conclusion: Our findings demonstrated that anti-HBs titers were significantly higher for patients having mild COVID-19 presentations. We presume that being immunized against the HB may play a protective role in the course of the disease. Our study provided more key elements in understanding the disparity of the clinical spectrum among regions.

Keywords: COVID-19; Hepatitis B; SARS-CoV-2; antibody titer; correlation.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Summary of the original in silico hypothesis suggesting an antigenic potential of three amino-acid patterns present in HBs Ag of Hepatitis B, Hemagglutinine protein of Measles virus and Tetanus toxin, against SARS-CoV-2 (20).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Distribution of the age of patients according to different severities of COVID-19. The horizontal line inside each box represents the median value of the age with interquartile ranges. The dots represent patients.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Proportions of Hepatitis B sero-positive patients per COVID-19 severity classes.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Correlation between the anti-HBs titers and the COVID-19 disease severity classes (1, Asymptomatic; 2, Mild; 3, Moderate; 4, Severe.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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