title: First epidemiological and phylogenetic analysis of Hepatitis B virus infection in migrants from Mali.
abstract: The armed conflict in Mali caused a migration crisis since 2012. Most Malian refugees were in Italy. In Sub-Saharan Africa, the seroprevalence of anti-HBV antibodies is particularly high. Genotype E is the most prevalent throughout a crescent covering area from Angola to Senegal, including Mali. We report 16 HBV positive individual from 136 Malian asylum seekers in order to investigate the genetic diversity of HBV in this population. Sequencing and phylogenetic analysis has been used. The HBV genotype E isolates from Mali did not cluster together but were intermixed, with the other African sequences. Only three supported clade were evidenced and closely related to sequences from Burkina Faso. The estimated evolutionary rate was 9.29 × 104. The root of the tree dated back to February 2008 in (95% HPD: 2006-2011). From this ancestor six main statistically supported clusters (pp > 0.80) were identified. The most recent Clade dated back to May 2015. The BSP showed that the effective number of infections softly increased from 2011 to the 2015. Phylogenetic analysis helped in understanding how two on sixteen individuals, have been infected in Italy, and give an important improvement in prevention campaigns and monitoring of the viral infection in migrants. J. Med. Virol. 89:639-646, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
authors: Department of Infectious, Parasitic and Immune-Mediated Diseases, Epidemiology Unit, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.|Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy.
authors: Eleonora
authors: E
authors: Cella
authors: Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy.|Migrant Health Research Organisation (Mi-HeRO) - Centro di Ricerca sulla Salute delle Popolazioni Mobili e Globale, Italy.
authors: Giancarlo
authors: G
authors: Ceccarelli
authors: Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy.|Migrant Health Research Organisation (Mi-HeRO) - Centro di Ricerca sulla Salute delle Popolazioni Mobili e Globale, Italy.
authors: Serena
authors: S
authors: Vita
authors: Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences "Luigi Sacco", University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
authors: Alessia
authors: A
authors: Lai
authors: Department of Infectious, Parasitic and Immune-Mediated Diseases, Epidemiology Unit, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.
authors: Alessandra Lo
authors: AL
authors: Presti
authors: Clinical Pathology and Microbiology Unit, University Campus Bio-Medico of Rome, Italy.
authors: Aletheia
authors: A
authors: Blasi
authors: Sanitary Bureau of Asylum Seekers Center of Castelnuovo di Porto, Rome, Italy.|Auxilium Società Cooperativa Sociale, Senise (PZ), Italy.
authors: Maurizio Lo
authors: ML
authors: Palco
authors: Department of Gastrointestinal Diseases, University Campus Bio-Medico of Rome, Italy.
authors: Michele Pier Luca
authors: MP
authors: Guarino
authors: Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences "Luigi Sacco", University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
authors: Gianguglielmo
authors: G
authors: Zehender
authors: Clinical Pathology and Microbiology Unit, University Campus Bio-Medico of Rome, Italy.
authors: Silvia
authors: S
authors: Angeletti
authors: Department of Infectious, Parasitic and Immune-Mediated Diseases, Epidemiology Unit, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.|Clinical Pathology and Microbiology Unit, University Campus Bio-Medico of Rome, Italy.
authors: Massimo
authors: M
authors: Ciccozzi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology*; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D008302:Mali; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology; D010802:Phylogeny; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014171:Transients and Migrants; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral
keywords: Hepatitis B virus; epidemiology; evolution