Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35241914›Full record

ArticleInfection and drug resistance2022

Occult Hepatitis B Virus Infection and Its Risks of Cryptic Transmission in Southern Ethiopia.

Gizachew Beykaso, Andargachew Mulu, Mirutse Giday, Nega Berhe, Markos Selamu, Dawit Hailu, Tilahun Teklehaymanot

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Infection and drug resistance, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed, 4 pooled it
1.6field-weighted citation impact, top 18% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 10 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Pooled it
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. High Prevalence of Occult Hepatitis B Virus Infection among Iranian Hemodialysis Patients.The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene · 2023
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Gizachew BeykasoAklilu Lemma Institute of Pathobiology, Department of Molecular Biology and Immunology, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Andargachew MuluArmauer Hansen Research Institute, Department of Virology, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Mirutse GidayAklilu Lemma Institute of Pathobiology, Department of Molecular Biology and Immunology, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Nega BerheAklilu Lemma Institute of Pathobiology, Department of Molecular Biology and Immunology, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.ORCID 0000-0001-6959-989X
Markos SelamuCollege of Medicine and Health Sciences, Department of Public Health, Wachemo University, Hossana, Ethiopia.ORCID 0000-0002-3983-2440
Dawit HailuArmauer Hansen Research Institute, Department of Virology, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Tilahun TeklehaymanotAklilu Lemma Institute of Pathobiology, Department of Molecular Biology and Immunology, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Addis Ababa University · ETArmauer Hansen Research Institute · ETWachemo University

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe detection of hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg) in serum remains the mainstay in diagnosing and screening of hepatitis B virus (HBV) in most developing countries. The absence of HBsAg in the blood may not indicate the absence of circulating HBV and might be infectious. Thus, this study aimed to estimate the burden and its cryptic transmission risks of occult hepatitis B infection (OBI) among HBsAg negative healthy individuals in Southern Ethiopia.

methodsA community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from September 2020 to January 2021. Serum samples were collected and assayed for HBsAg and HBV core antibody (anti-HBc) seromarkers using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In anti-HBc positive samples, HBV DNA was detected using real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Data were entered into Epi-Data version 3.1, cleaned, and analyzed using SPSS version 21.0. Descriptive and logistic regression analyses were employed. Statistical significance was decided at p < 0.05.

resultsA total of 346 were individuals included in this study; 34 (9.8%) were tested positive for HBsAg. The rest 312 (90.2%) negatively tested were further assayed for anti-HBc, and 115 (36.7%) were found positive implying previous exposure to HBV, and 21 (18.3%) out of 115 anti-HBc positives had HBV DNA signifying OBI. The HBV DNA concentration below 200 IU/mL was 85.7%. A high rate of OBI was observed among individuals who had multiple sexual contacts, a family history of hepatitis, and tattooing.

conclusionIn this study, the prevalence of OBI is high. This indicates the burden of HBV is considerable since screening is exclusively dependent on HBsAg which will not eliminate the possibility of residual cryptic transmission through blood donation, organ transplantation, perinatal transmission, and other contacts. Our results demonstrate that nucleic acid-based testing (NAT) should be an essential part of screening to prevent missing OBI.

Indexed as

anti-HBcHBVHBV DNAOBISouthern Ethiopia

Identifiers

PMID35241914
PMCPMC8886027
OpenAlexW4212991659

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.