Phylodynamic and Phylogeographic Analysis of Hepatitis Delta Virus Genotype 3 Isolated in South America

Abstract

The hepatitis delta virus (HDV) is a globally distributed agent, and its genetic variability allows for it to be organized into eight genotypes with different geographic distributions. In South America, genotype 3 (HDV-3) is frequently isolated and responsible for the most severe form of infection. The objective of this study was to evaluate the evolutionary and epidemiological dynamics of HDV-3 over the years and to describe its distribution throughout this continent in an evolutionary perspective. While using Bayesian analysis, with strains being deposited in the Nucleotide database, the most recent common ancestor was dated back to 1964 and phylogenetic analysis indicated that the dispersion may have started in Brazil, spreading to Venezuela and then to Colombia, respectively. Exponential growth in the effective number of infections was observed between the 1950s and 1970s, years after the first report of the presence of HDV on the continent, during the Labrea Black Fever outbreak, which showed that the virus continued to spread, increasing the number of cases decades after the first reports. Subsequently, the analysis showed a decrease in the epidemiological levels of HDV, which was probably due to the implantation of the vaccine against its helper virus, hepatitis B virus, and serological screening methods implemented in the blood banks.

Detection and Genetic Characterization of Hepatitis B and D Viruses: A Multi-Site Cross-Sectional Study of People Who Use Illicit Drugs in the Amazon Region

“…HDV genotypes 1 and 3 were detected in PWUDs. The predominance of genotype 3 is consistent with the findings of epidemiological studies in South America, and the identification of HDV genotype 1 reinforces the perspective of its worldwide distribution [30][31][32]. The co-infection of HDV genotype 3 and HBV genotype A (A1 or A2) observed in most PWUDs is also consistent with the studies of people residing in the Brazilian states of Acre, Amazonas, and Pará, and it reinforces the regional pattern of this co-infection [49,93,94].…”

“…Based on phylogenetic analyses, it has been classified into eight genotypes (1–8) [ 27 ]. HDV genotypes 1, 3, and 8 are found in South America, with genotype 3 considered to be original and prevalent in the Amazon region [ 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 ]. HDV infection is often associated with severe liver disease [ 32 , 34 ].…”

Different evolutionary dynamics of hepatitis B virus genotypes A and D, and hepatitis D virus genotypes 1 and 2 in an endemic area of Yakutia, Russia

“…Nevertheless, the available HDV sequences make it possible to reconstruct the history of the evolution of HDV over the past decades, with a rather small 95% HPD, which is very important for understanding viral circulation against the background of HBV vaccination. Thus, using Bayesian analysis, Nogueira-Lima et al demonstrated a decrease in the epidemiological levels of HDV-3 in South America after the introduction of HBV vaccination and donor screening [ 41 ]. Interestingly, our data on HDV epidemiological dynamics in Yakutia do not indicate any stable decrease after the implementation of newborn HBV vaccination in 1998, either in the effective number of infections or in the reproduction number.…”

Hepatitis B Virus and Delta Infection: Special Considerations in the Indigenous and Isolated Riverside Populations in the Amazon Region

“…4 Copyright 2006, Instituto Nacional de Salud, covered under CC BY‐NC. (B) Prevalence of HBV in native population of the Amazon younger than 5 years, 2009 3 . Adapted with permission from Revista Peruana de Medicina Experimental y Salud Pública 6 .…”

“…An atypical form of delta hepatitis was initially described in Brazil, where it was named “Lábrea fever” because it predominated in the city of Lábrea in the Alto Purus region. Subsequently, Lábrea fever was described in areas of the Amazon rainforest located in Peru, Colombia (Santa Marta), and Venezuela 3 . First described in young individuals, this peculiar fulminant hepatitis has a high fatality rate and unique histological picture, with moderate hepatocellular necrosis, hepatocellular ballooning, and enlarged hepatocytes containing cytoplasmic drops of fat surrounding the nucleus.…”