Biological diagnosis and characterization of occult hepatitis B virus infection in Burkina Faso

Introduction/objective The occult infection by the hepatitis B virus (OBI) characterized by the undetectable (HBs Ag) negative antigen in the serum and the presence of viral DNA, constitutes a major public health problem and a major challenge for clinical forms of hepatitis worldwide. The persistence of OBI very often leads to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and immunodeficiency. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of OBI and to characterize the incriminated genotypes of the virus. Material and method The plasmas of 252 HBsAg-negative volunteers were used for highlighting the viral DNA by PCR classic. PCR Multiplex using specific primers of 6 genotypes (A to F) was used for characterization. Results A prevalence of 11.9% (30/252) of OBI was obtained with 7.5% in women and 4.4% for men. Genotypes E (60.0%) and A3 (23.3%) were present and genotypes B, C, D, and F were absent. A mixed infection with E/A3 genotypes (16.7%) was observed. AC Anti-HBc was present in 80% of cases OBI. Discussion/Conclusion The prevalence of 11.9% of OBI could be related to the level of endemicity of the study area, Burkina Faso being a country with a prevalence of more than 14% of HBV infection. These infections are dominated by the A3 and E genotypes, confirming their importance in chronic HBV infections. The absence of genotypes B and C in cases of OBI constitutes a positive predictive value since their presence is linked to a more rapid evolution of the infection towards HCC.