article · Journal of Clinical Microbiology
Over ninety-five per cent of patients presenting with acute febrile jaundice within the yellow fever surveillance programme in the Democratic Republic of Congo test negative for yellow fever virus antibodies. A study examined 498 serum samples collected between 2003 and 2012 from suspected yellow fever cases to determine whether other hepatitis viruses caused the illness. Serological markers for viral hepatitis were identified in 43.7 per cent of patients. Specifically, seroprevalences were 24.6 per cent for hepatitis B, 16.7 per cent for hepatitis A, 10.4 per cent for hepatitis E, and 2.3 per cent for hepatitis C. Furthermore, 26.1 per cent of hepatitis B-positive patients were co-infected with hepatitis D. Genotyping identified hepatitis B genotypes A, E, and D, alongside hepatitis D genotype 1. These results suggest screening for hepatitis viruses should be integrated into existing yellow fever surveillance programmes.
Most patients investigated for yellow fever in this surveillance programme test negative, leaving the true cause of acute febrile jaundice unknown. Demonstrating that multiple hepatitis viruses account for a substantial portion of these unexplained cases helps public health authorities understand the disease burden and points to the need for broader diagnostic testing beyond yellow fever alone.
The abstract does not describe a commercial product or development pathway. However, the findings suggest an operational need for multiplex diagnostic panels or bundled hepatitis assays that clinical laboratories and surveillance programmes could deploy. Diagnostic kit manufacturers and national public health agencies could apply this evidence to justify expanding routine screening protocols in the Democratic Republic of Congo, though commercial deployment would require formal test validation within local surveillance infrastructure.
AI-generated from the published abstract. Always read the original work before citing.
The majority of patients with acute febrile jaundice (>95%) identified through a yellow fever surveillance program in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) test negative for antibodies against yellow fever virus. However, no etiological investigation has ever been carried out on these patients. Here, we tested for hepatitis A (HAV), hepatitis B (HBV), hepatitis C (HCV), hepatitis D (HDV), and hepatitis E (HEV) viruses, all of which can cause acute febrile jaundice, in patients included in the yellow fever surveillance program in the DRC. On a total of 498 serum samples collected from suspected cases of yellow fever from January 2003 to January 2012, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) techniques were used to screen for antibodies against HAV (IgM) and HEV (IgM) and for antigens and antibodies against HBV (HBsAg and anti-hepatitis B core protein [HBc] IgM, respectively), HCV, and HDV. Viral loads and genotypes were determined for HBV and HVD. Viral hepatitis serological markers were diagnosed in 218 (43.7%) patients. The seroprevalences were 16.7% for HAV, 24.6% for HBV, 2.3% for HCV, and 10.4% for HEV, and 26.1% of HBV-positive patients were also infected with HDV. Median viral loads were 4.19 × 10<sup>5</sup> IU/ml for HBV (range, 769 to 9.82 × 10<sup>9</sup> IU/ml) and 1.4 × 10<sup>6</sup> IU/ml for HDV (range, 3.1 × 10<sup>2</sup> to 2.9 × 10<sup>8</sup> IU/ml). Genotypes A, E, and D of HBV and genotype 1 of HDV were detected. These high hepatitis prevalence rates highlight the necessity to include screening for hepatitis viruses in the yellow fever surveillance program in the DRC.
This page summarises published work. The authoritative version sits with the publisher.
DOI: 10.1128/jcm.01847-16
Is something wrong with this record? Report it or request removal.
Discussion
Have you built on this work, tried to replicate it, or seen it applied in practice? Share what you know. Verified researchers and MARATTO™ domain experts can open a discussion, and any member can reply. Contributions are reviewed before they appear.
No discussion yet. Open the first thread.
New to MARATTO™? Create a free account.
