varVAMP: degenerate primer design for tiled full genome sequencing and qPCR.

Time- and cost-saving surveillance of viral pathogens is achieved by tiled sequencing in which a viral genome is amplified in overlapping PCR amplicons and qPCR. However, designing pan-specific primers for viral pathogens with high genomic variability represents a significant challenge. Here, we present a bioinformatics command-line tool, called varVAMP (variable virus amplicons), which addresses this issue.

Proof of infectivity of hepatitis E virus particles from the ejaculate of chronically infected patients.

Recently, hepatitis E virus (HEV, Paslahepevirus balayani) particles were detected for the first time in the ejaculate of two chronically infected patients. Since then, we have been able to detect HEV in ejaculate in five further patients, and thus in a total of seven out of nine (78%) chronically infected men (age 36-67 years, median 56 years). In five patients, the HEV RNA concentration was more than 100-fold higher compared to the serum, while in two patients, the viral load was more than 10-fold lower.

Hepatitis E virus infection of transplanted kidneys.

Immunocompromised patients are at risk of chronic hepatitis E (HEV) infection. Recurrent T cell and borderline rejections in a pediatric patient with high HEV copy numbers led us to study HEV infection within renal transplants. To investigate the frequency of renal HEV infection in transplanted patients, 15 samples from patients with contemporaneous diagnoses of HEV infection were identified at our center.

Hepatitis A outbreak in a refugee shelter in Kiel, northern Germany.

In the spring of 2023, three Ukrainian war refugees from a municipal community shelter and a volunteer caregiver at an affiliated daycare center in Kiel, Germany, were diagnosed with infectious jaundice attributable to a single hepatitis A virus (HAV) subgenotype IA strain. Similar HAV sequences have been observed in Germany and other European countries for several years. One refugee and the volunteer required hospitalization.

Immunomodulation of Natural Killer Cell Function by Ribavirin Involves TYK-2 Activation and Subsequent Increased IFN-γ Secretion in the Context of In Vitro Hepatitis E Virus Infection.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a major cause of acute hepatitis globally. Chronic and fulminant courses are observed especially in immunocompromised transplant recipients since administration of ribavirin (RBV) does not always lead to a sustained virologic response. By in vitro stimulation of NK cells through hepatoma cell lines inoculated with a full-length HEV and treatment with RBV, we analyzed the viral replication and cell response to further elucidate the mechanism of action of RBV on immune cells, especially NK cells, in the context of HEV infection.

HuH-7-Lunet BLR Cells Propagate Rat Hepatitis E Virus (HEV) in a Cell Culture System Optimized for HEV.

The family comprises the species (HEV-A to -D). HEV-C genotype 1 (HEV-C1, rat HEV) is able to infect humans. This study investigated whether an optimized HEV-A cell culture system is able to propagate the cell culture-derived rat HEV, and if de novo isolation of the virus from rat liver is possible.

No Evidence for Orthohepevirus C in Archived Human Samples in Germany, 2000-2020.

, also known as rat hepatitis E virus (HEV), has been shown to sporadically cause disease in immunocompromised and immunocompetent adults. While routine serological assays vary in reactivity, rat HEV is not detected in routine HEV RT-PCR. Thus, such infections could be either missed or misclassified as conventional HEV () infections.

Phylogeny and spatiotemporal dynamics of hepatitis E virus infections in wild boar and deer from six areas of Germany during 2013-2017.

The hepatitis E virus (HEV) can cause acute and chronic hepatitis in humans. Infections with the zoonotic HEV genotype 3, which can be transmitted from infected wild boar and deer to humans, are increasingly detected in Europe. To investigate the spatiotemporal HEV infection dynamics in wild animal populations, a study involving 3572 samples of wild boar and three deer species from six different geographic areas in Germany over a 4-year period was conducted.

Hepatitis A Virus Incidence Rates and Biomarker Dynamics for Plasma Donors, United States.

The United States is currently affected by widespread hepatitis A virus (HAV) outbreaks. We investigated HAV incidence rates among source plasma donors in the United States since 2016. Serial donations from HAV-positive frequent donors were analyzed for common biologic markers to obtain a detailed picture of the course of infection.

Hepatitis E: An update on One Health and clinical medicine.

The hepatitis E virus (HEV) is one of the main causes of acute hepatitis and the de facto global burden is underestimated. HEV-related clinical complications are often undetected and are not considered in the differential diagnosis. Convincing findings from studies suggest that HEV is clinically relevant not only in developing countries but also in industrialized countries.

Hepatitis E Virus Infection: Circulation, Molecular Epidemiology, and Impact on Global Health.

Infection with hepatitis E virus (HEV) represents the most common source of viral hepatitis globally. Although infecting over 20 million people annually in endemic regions, with major outbreaks described since the 1950s, hepatitis E remains an underestimated disease. This review gives a current view of the global circulation and epidemiology of this emerging virus.

Isolation of Subtype 3c, 3e and 3f-Like Hepatitis E Virus Strains Stably Replicating to High Viral Loads in an Optimized Cell Culture System.

The hepatitis E virus (HEV) is transmitted via the faecal-oral route in developing countries (genotypes 1 and 2) or through contaminated food and blood products worldwide (genotypes 3 and 4). In Europe, HEV subtypes 3c, 3e and 3f are predominant. HEV is the leading cause of acute hepatitis globally and immunocompromised patients are particularly at risk.

Continuous decline of hepatitis E virus seroprevalence in southern Germany despite increasing notifications, 2003-2015.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is viewed as an emerging pathogen. Many European countries, including Germany, have observed a steep increase of notified autochthonous hepatitis E cases in recent years. Our study investigated time trends in HEV seroprevalence in southern Germany between 2003 and 2015.

Pathological Cerebrospinal Fluid Findings in Patients With Neuralgic Amyotrophy and Acute Hepatitis E Virus Infection.

There is growing evidence that hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection can present with extrahepatic manifestations including neurological disorders. Among these, neuralgic amyotrophy (NA) has been reported to occur in some industrialized countries. We investigated 35 patients with NA and a control group for markers of HEV infection.

Hepatitis E Seroprevalence and Genotyping in a Cohort of Wild Boars in Southern Germany and Eastern Alsace.

In the last few years it has been realized that the hepatitis E virus (HEV) is endemic in most industrialized countries and that it is a zoonotic disease. Potential reservoirs for HEV have been identified to be wild boars and deers, but HEV has also been found in domestic pigs and other animals. Due to the probable spread of the virus via contaminated food or contact to infected animals, HEV antibodies are present in more than 16% of the German adult population and rates are increasing with age.

Validation of T-Track® CMV to assess the functionality of cytomegalovirus-reactive cell-mediated immunity in hemodialysis patients.

Background: Uncontrolled cytomegalovirus (CMV) replication in immunocompromised solid-organ transplant recipients is a clinically relevant issue and an indication of impaired CMV-specific cell-mediated immunity (CMI). Primary aim of this study was to assess the suitability of the immune monitoring tool T-Track® CMV to determine CMV-reactive CMI in a cohort of hemodialysis patients representative of patients eligible for renal transplantation. Positive and negative agreement of T-Track® CMV with CMV serology was examined in 124 hemodialysis patients, of whom 67 (54%) revealed a positive CMV serostatus.

Enhanced Replication of Hepatitis E Virus Strain 47832c in an A549-Derived Subclonal Cell Line.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a human pathogen with increasing importance. The lack of efficient cell culture systems hampers systematic studies on its replication cycle, virus neutralization and inactivation. Here, several cell lines were inoculated with the HEV genotype 3c strain 47832c, previously isolated from a chronically infected transplant patient.

Decline in hepatitis E virus antibody prevalence in southeastern Germany, 1996-2011.

Unlabelled: In the past decade, an increasing frequency of acute hepatitis E was noted in Germany and other European countries. Moreover, a high prevalence (17%) of hepatitis E virus (HEV) immunoglobulin G antibodies (anti-HEV) was recently found in the adult German population. Although this suggests an emerging pathogen, reports from other countries gave hints to a completely new aspect: a possible decrease in anti-HEV prevalence during the last decades.

Test performance characteristics of Anti-HEV IgG assays strongly influence hepatitis E seroprevalence estimates.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) seroprevalences of 0.3%-53% were reported from industrialized countries. Because these estimates may be influenced by detection assays, this study compares 3 frequently used tests for HEV detection: the MP Diagnostics HEV immunoglobulin G (IgG) enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), the Axiom Diagnostics HEV IgG enzyme immunoassay (EIA), and the Mikrogen recomLine HEV IgG assay.

Detection of hepatitis E virus (HEV) from porcine livers in Southeastern Germany and high sequence homology to human HEV isolates.

Background: Hepatitis E virus (HEV) has been identified as an emerging cause of infectious hepatitis over the last years in developed countries. In contrast to travel associated hepatitis E, zoonotic sources of infection are suspected for autochthonous cases in Europe.

Objective: Since pigs are known reservoirs of HEV, we tested porcine livers sold as food in Southeastern Germany for the presence of hepatitis E virus RNA.