Molecular characteristics of Hepatitis B and chronic liver disease in a cohort of HB carriers from Bamako, Mali.

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis B (HB) infection is common in Mali. However, there is little information on molecular and biochemical characteristics of HB carriers. METHODS: A group of 1466 adult volunteers was recruited in the district of Bamako. Confirmed HB carriers were tested for HB viral load by quantitative PCR and HBV was genotyped by sequencing of HBS. Fibrosis and hepatitis activity were measured using the Fibrotest-Actitest. A mutation of TP53 at codon 249 (R249S), specific for exposure to aflatoxin, was detected in cell-free DNA extracted from plasma. RESULTS: Overall, 276 subjects were HBsAg-positive (18.8%). Among 152 subjects tested for HBV load, 49 (32.2%) had over 10(4) copies/mL and 16 (10.5%) had levels below the limit of detection. The E genotype was found in 91.1% of carriers. Fibrotest scores ≥ F2 were observed in 52 subjects (35.4%). Actitest scores ≥ A2 were detected in 15 subjects (10.2%) and were correlated with Fibrotest scores (p = 0.0006). Among 105 subjects tested, 60% had detectable levels of R249S copies (>40 copies/mL plasma). CONCLUSION: Chronic HB carriage in adults in Bamako district is well over epidemic threshold. About 1/3 of carriers have moderate to severe liver fibrosis and 60% have detectable aflatoxin-related TP53 R249S mutation. These results support introduction of anti-HB therapies to reduce the progression towards severe liver disease.

Disease patterns and causes of death of hospitalized HIV-positive adults in West Africa: a multicountry survey in the antiretroviral treatment era.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to describe the morbidity and mortality patterns in HIV-positive adults hospitalized in West Africa. METHOD: We conducted a six-month prospective multicentre survey within the IeDEA West Africa collaboration in six adult medical wards of teaching hospitals in Abidjan, Ouagadougou, Cotonou, Dakar and Bamako. From April to October 2010, all newly hospitalized HIV-positive patients were eligible. Baseline and follow-up information until hospital discharge was recorded using standardized forms. Diagnoses were reviewed by a local event validation committee using reference definitions. Factors associated with in-hospital mortality were studied with a logistic regression model. RESULTS: Among 823 hospitalized HIV-positive adults (median age 40 years, 58% women), 24% discovered their HIV infection during the hospitalization, median CD4 count was 75/mm(3) (IQR: 25-177) and 48% had previously received antiretroviral treatment (ART). The underlying causes of hospitalization were AIDS-defining conditions (54%), other infections (32%), other diseases (8%) and non-specific illness (6%). The most frequent diseases diagnosed were: tuberculosis (29%), pneumonia (15%), malaria (10%) and cerebral toxoplasmosis (10%). Overall, 315 (38%) patients died during hospitalization and the underlying cause of death was AIDS (63%), non-AIDS-defining infections (26%), other diseases (7%) and non-specific illness or unknown cause (4%). Among them, the most frequent fatal diseases were: tuberculosis (36%), cerebral toxoplasmosis (10%), cryptococcosis (9%) and sepsis (7%). Older age, clinical WHO stage 3 and 4, low CD4 count, and AIDS-defining infectious diagnoses were associated with hospital fatality. CONCLUSIONS: AIDS-defining conditions, primarily tuberculosis, and bacterial infections were the most frequent causes of hospitalization in HIV-positive adults in West Africa and resulted in high in-hospital fatality. Sustained efforts are needed to integrate care of these disease conditions and optimize earlier diagnosis of HIV infection and initiation of ART.

[Case-control study of hepatitis C HBs Ag and antivirus antibodies in chronic hepatopathies]. / Etude de l'antigène HBs et des anticorps antivirus de l'hépatite C au cours des hépatopathies chroniques.

The aim of this study is to establish the prevalence of hepatitis C HBs Ag and of anti-virus antibodies in chronic hepatopathies. The prospective case-control study was carried out on 91 patients who needed to be treated for chronic hepatopathies and 92 occasional blood donors. The search for hepatitis C HBs Ag and anti-virus antibodies was done using third generation ELISA screening. At the end of the study, HBs Ag was found in 54% of the patients vs. 4.3% of the control (p=0.0006). The two markers were present more frequently in cirrhosis than in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and their association was more frequent in the case of cirrhosis. In Mali, hepatitis B and C viruses play an important part in chronic hepatopathies.