Comparison of HBV genotype A and genotype D infected donors with demographic and laboratory profiles.

<p>Comparison of HBV genotype A and genotype D infected donors with demographic and laboratory profiles.</p

Demographic and laboratory profiles of HBsAg sero-positive blood donors.

<p>Demographic and laboratory profiles of HBsAg sero-positive blood donors.</p

Distribution of mutation in partial HBV S-gene among isolates from blood donors.

<p>Distribution of mutation in partial HBV S-gene among isolates from blood donors.</p

Distribution of amino acid substitutions (mutations) detected within the major hydrophobic region (MHR) of HBV S-gene among 21 genotype A isolates aligned with nine reference sequences retrieved from GenBank.

<p>Distribution of amino acid substitutions (mutations) detected within the major hydrophobic region (MHR) of HBV S-gene among 21 genotype A isolates aligned with nine reference sequences retrieved from GenBank.</p

Neighbor-Joining rooted phylogenetic tree of partial HBV S-gene (231–801 nt) sequences from 85 Ethiopian isolates start with ETHAW and marked by red-dot () and 71 reference sequences retrieved from GenBank with accession number followed by respective HBV genotype A to H.

<p>The numbers at the nodes indicate percentage of bootstrapping values.</p

Sero-prevalence and risk factors for hepatitis E virus infection among pregnant women in the Cape Coast Metropolis, Ghana

<div><p>Background</p><p>Hepatitis E virus is an emerging infection in Africa with poor maternal and foetal outcomes. There is scanty data on the sero-prevalence of HEV infection among pregnant women in Ghana. This study highlighted the prevalence and risk factors associated with HEV infection among pregnant women in Cape Coast Metropolis, Central Region of Ghana.</p><p>Methods</p><p>A multicenter (3 selected sites) analytical cross sectional study involving 398 pregnant women in the Cape Coast metropolis was conducted. HEV (Anti-HEV IgG and Anti-HEV IgM) ELISA was performed. Sero-positive women had liver chemistries done and data collected on maternal and neonatal outcomes. Data analyses were performed using Stata version 13 software (STATA Corp, Texas USA).</p><p>Results</p><p>Mean age was 28.01 (± 5.93) years. HEV sero-prevalence was 12.2% (n = 48) for IgG and 0.2% (n = 1) for IgM with overall of 12.3%. The odds of being HEV sero-positive for women aged 26–35 years was 3.1 (95% CI: 1.1–8.1), p = 0.02 and ≥36 years it was 10.7 (95% CI; 3.4–33.5), p = 0.0001. Living in urban settlement was associated with lowest odds of HEV infection {OR 0.4 (95% CI; 0.2–0.8), p = 0.01}. Factors with no statistical evidence of association include main source of drinking water and history of blood transfusion. The sero-prevalence of HEV IgG increased progressively across trimesters with the highest among women in their third trimester (55.3%). None of the 49 HEV sero-positive women had elevated ALT level. Ten (N = 41) of the neonates born to sero-positive women developed jaundice in the neonatal period. The mean birth weight was 3.1kg (SD 0.4).</p><p>Conclusion</p><p>HEV sero-prevalence among pregnant women in the Cape Coast Metropolis is high enough to deserve more attention than it has received so far. It is therefore important to conduct further research on the potential impact on maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity in Ghana.</p></div

Liver function results of 49 pregnant women who were positive for HEV IgG and/or IgM.

<p>Liver function results of 49 pregnant women who were positive for HEV IgG and/or IgM.</p

Factors associated with HEV IgG positivity among study participants.

<p>Factors associated with HEV IgG positivity among study participants.</p

Obstetric and other relevant parameters of study participants.

<p>Obstetric and other relevant parameters of study participants.</p

Socio-demographic characteristics of study participants (N = 398).

<p>Socio-demographic characteristics of study participants (N = 398).</p