Slave Trade and Hepatitis B Virus Genotypes and Subgenotypes in Haiti and Africa

Andernach, Iris E.; Nolte, Claudine; Pape, Jean William; Muller, Claude P.

doi:10.3201/eid1508.081642

Cited by 105 publications

(137 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…HBV/A was by far the most common (79.1 %), with most cases belonging to the 'African-Asian' HBV/A1 subgenotype (68.6 %) and the remaining 10.5 % to the 'European' HBV/A2. Such results have also been described in other countries with a history of African slave trade (Andernach et al, 2009;Santos et al, 2010), but the proportion of HBV/A1 was significantly higher in our study: 68.6 % in Martinique vs 43 % and 37 % in Haiti and Brazil, respectively (P,0.001).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

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African, Amerindian and European hepatitis B virus strains circulate on the Caribbean Island of Martinique

Brichler

Lagathu

Chekaraou

et al. 2013

Journal of General Virology

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Ten Hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotypes, as well as numerous subgenotypes, have been described in well-characterized ethnogeographical populations. Martinique has been at a crossroads between Africa, Europe, India and the Americas because of the slave trade (17th-19th centuries), followed by an important immigration of Indian and West African workers. In this work, we aimed to study the molecular epidemiology of HBV infection in Martinique according to this unique settlement pattern. To that end, blood samples from 86 consecutive HBV-infected patients from the main hospitals of the island, were retrospectively analysed. Direct sequencing of the pre-S1 or pre-C-C region or complete genome sequencing, followed by phylogenetic analyses were performed. HBV genotypes were: HBV/A1 (68.6 %), HBV/A2 (10.5 %), HBV/D, mainly HBV/D3 and HBV/D4 (8.1 %), HBV/F (3.5 %), and also HBV/E (2.3 %), two strains isolated from two West-African patients. Moreover, 74 % of the HBeAg-negative strains harboured classical pre-C-C mutations, and most HBV/A1 strains also containing specific mutations. Finally, various patterns of deletion mutants in pre-S and pre-C-C regions were found. In conclusion, our findings point to historical and migration-related issues in HBV-genotype distribution suggesting that HBV/A1, but not HBV/E, was imported from Africa during the slave trade, and further supporting the hypothesis that HBV/E has emerged recently in West Africa (,150 years). Potential origins of 'European' HBV/A2 and HBV/D3, 'Amerindian' HBV/F, and HBV/D4 strains are also discussed. Such HBV genetic diversity, beyond its epidemiological interest, may have a clinical impact on the natural history of HBV infection in Martinique.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

“…More partial HBV/D4 sequences have also been described (Andernach et al, 2009, Norder et al, 2004, Osiowy et al, 2011, Santos et al, 2010 mainly in the S gene. Phylogenetic analyses with all published D4 partial sequences confirmed that Martinican strains clearly belong to the HBV/D4 subgenotype but do not form a separate cluster (data not shown).…”

mentioning

confidence: 96%

African, Amerindian and European hepatitis B virus strains circulate on the Caribbean Island of Martinique

Brichler

Lagathu

Chekaraou

et al. 2013

Journal of General Virology

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“…A recent phylogenetic study suggests that West African hepatitis B virus (HBV) lineages were introduced to Haiti during the peak years of slave movement (1). Similarly, recent studies of human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1), which sometimes combine human and viral evidence, have indicated that Surinamese, Guyanan, Brazilian, Argentinian, and Peruvian HTLV-1 lineages grouped among West African lineages (3,12,32).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Colonial History and Contemporary Transmission Shape the Genetic Diversity of Hepatitis C Virus Genotype 2 in Amsterdam

Markov

Laar

Thomas

et al. 2012

J Virol

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g Evolutionary analysis of hepatitis C virus (HCV) genome sequences has provided insights into the epidemic history and transmission of this widespread human pathogen. Here we report an exceptionally diverse set of 178 HCV genotype 2 (HCV-2) isolates from 189 patients in Amsterdam, comprising 8 distinct HCV subtypes and 10 previously not recognized, unclassified lineages. By combining study subjects' demographic information with phylogeographic and molecular clock analyses, we demonstrate for the first time that the trans-Atlantic slave trade and colonial history were the driving forces behind the global dissemination of HCV-2. We detect multiple HCV-2 movements from present-day Ghana/Benin to the Caribbean during the peak years of the slave trade (1700 to 1850) and extensive transfer of HCV-2 among the Netherlands and its former colonies Indonesia and Surinam over the last 150 years. The latter coincides with the bidirectional migration of Javanese workers between Indonesia and Surinam and subsequent immigration to the Netherlands. In addition, our study sheds light on contemporary trends in HCV transmission within the Netherlands. We observe multiple lineages of the epidemic subtypes 2a, 2b, and 2c (together 67% of HCV-2 infections in Amsterdam), which cluster according to their suspected routes of transmission, specifically, injecting drug use (IDU) and contaminated blood/blood products. Understanding the epidemiological processes that generated the global pattern of HCV diversity seen today is critical for exposing associations between populations, risk factors, and specific HCV subtypes and might help HCV screening and prevention campaigns to minimize the future burden of HCV-related liver disease.

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“…However, a close coevolution of HDV-1 and HBV-E seems unlikely, since HDV-1 can be found worldwide, whereas HBV-E is largely confined to Africa and is thought to have a short evolutionary history (8,44,45). Moreover, several lines of evidence suggest that HBV-E was only recently introduced into the African population (8,44,45).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterization of Hepatitis Delta Virus in Sub-Saharan Africa

et al. 2014

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Hepatitis D virus (HDV) is a satellite of hepatitis B virus (HBV), and infection with this virus aggravates acute and chronic liver disease. While HBV seroprevalence is very high across sub-Saharan Africa, much less is known about HDV in the region. In this study, almost 2,300 blood serum samples from Burkina Faso (n ‫؍‬ 1,131), Nigeria (n ‫؍‬ 974), Chad (n ‫؍‬ 50), and the Central African Republic (n ‫؍‬ 118) were screened for HBV and HDV. Among 743 HBsAg-positive serum samples, 74 were positive for HDV antibodies and/or HDV RNA, with considerable differences in prevalence, ranging from <2% (pregnant women from Burkina Faso) to 50% (liver patients from Central African Republic). HDV seems to be much more common in chronic liver disease patients in the Central African Republic (CAR) than in similar cohorts in Nigeria. In a large nested mother-child cohort in Burkina Faso, the prevalence of HDV antibodies was 10 times higher in the children than in their mothers, despite similar HBsAg prevalences, excluding vertical transmission as an important route of infection. The genotyping of 16 full-length and 8 partial HDV strains revealed clade 1 (17/24) in three of the four countries, while clades 5 (5/24) and 6 (2/24) were, at least in this study, confined to Central Nigeria. On the amino acid level, almost all our clade 1 strains exhibited a serine at position 202 in the hepatitis D antigen, supporting the hypothesis of an ancient African HDV-1 subgroup. Further studies are required to understand the public health significance of the highly varied HDV prevalences in different cohorts and countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

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Slave Trade and Hepatitis B Virus Genotypes and Subgenotypes in Haiti and Africa

Abstract: TOC Summary: The spread of genotype E in Africa occurred after the end of the transatlantic slave trade.

Cited by 105 publications

References 27 publications

African, Amerindian and European hepatitis B virus strains circulate on the Caribbean Island of Martinique

African, Amerindian and European hepatitis B virus strains circulate on the Caribbean Island of Martinique

Colonial History and Contemporary Transmission Shape the Genetic Diversity of Hepatitis C Virus Genotype 2 in Amsterdam

Characterization of Hepatitis Delta Virus in Sub-Saharan Africa

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