title: Acute risk for hepatitis E virus infection among HIV-1-positive pregnant women in central Africa.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Hepatitis E virus (HEV), an enterically transmitted pathogen, is highly endemic in several African countries. Pregnant women are at particularly high risk for acute or severe hepatitis E. In Gabon, a central African country, the prevalence of antibodies to HEV among pregnant women is 14.1%. Recent studies have demonstrated unusual patterns of hepatitis E (chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis) among immunodeficient patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We investigated the prevalence of antibodies to HEV among pregnant women infected with HIV-1 or HTLV-1 in Gabon. Of 243 samples collected, 183 were positive for HIV-1 and 60 for HTLV-1; 16 women (6.6%) had IgG antibodies to HEV. The seroprevalence was higher among HIV-1-infected women (7.1%) than HTLV-1-infected women (5.0%). Moreover, the HIV-1 viral load was significantly increased (p ≤ 0.02) among women with past-HEV exposure (1.3E+05 vs 5.7E+04 copies per ml), whereas no difference was found in HTLV-1 proviral load (9.0E+01 vs 1.1E+03 copies per ml).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data provide evidence that HIV-1-infected women are at risk for acute or severe infection if they are exposed to HEV during pregnancy, with an increased viral load.
authors.affiliation: Unité de Rétrovirologie, Centre International de Recherches Médicales, Franceville, BP 769, Gabon.
authors.forename: Mélanie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Caron
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bouscaillou
authors.forename: Mirdad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kazanji
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005681:Gabon / Q000453:epidemiology; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000821:virology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000302:isolation & purification; D015490:HTLV-I Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000821:virology; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000097:blood*; D016751:Hepatitis E / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016752:Hepatitis E virus / Q000276:immunology*; D015368:Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D019562:Viral Load
chemical_list: D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies