Active vaccination to prevent de novo hepatitis B virus infection in liver transplantation

The shortage of organ donors mandates the use of liver allograft from anti-HBc(+) donors, especially in areas highly endemic for hepatitis B virus(HBV) infection. Theincidence of de novo hepatitis B infection(DNH) is over 30%-70% among recipients of hepatitis B core antibody(HBcA b)(+) grafts without any prophylaxis after liver transplantation(LT). Systematic reviews showed that prophylactic therapy [lamivudine and/or hepatitits B immunoglobulin(HBIG)] dramatically reduces the probability of DNH. However, there are limited studies regarding the effects of active immunization to prevent DNH, and the role of active vaccination is not welldefined. This review focuses on the feasibility and efficacy of pre- and post-LT HBV vaccination to prevent DNH in HBsA g(-) recipient using HBcA b(+) grafts. The presence of HBs Ab in combination with lamivudine or HBIG results in lower incidence of DNH and may reduce the requirement of HBIG. There was a trend towards decreasing incidence of DNH with higher titers of HBs Ab. High titers of HBs Ab( 1000 IU/L) achieved after repeated vaccination could eliminate the necessity for additional antiviral prophylaxis in pediatric recipients. In summary, active vaccination with adequate HBsA b titer is a feasible, cost-effective strategy to prevent DNH in recipients of HBc Ab(+) grafts. HBV vaccination is advised for candidates on waiting list and for recipients after withdrawal of steroids and onset of low dose immunosuppression after transplantation.     

非乙型肝炎相关性肝移植术后新发乙型肝炎病毒感染的9年队列研究

目的了解非乙型肝炎相关性肝移植术后患者新发HBV感染的发生率、危险因素、临床特点及转归。方法随访单中心非乙型肝炎相关性肝移植术后患者97例,在肝移植术前及术后随访期间规律记录患者的肝功能、乙型肝炎病毒标志物、HBV DNA定量及相关用药等情况。结果 97例患者的供体均HBsAg阴性,平均随访54个月(6~112个月),15例出现HBsAg阳性(15.46%),受体抗-HBc阴性是术后新发乙型肝炎的危险因素(RR=4.62),抗-HBs/抗-HBc双阳性是术后新发乙型肝炎的保护因素(RR=5.16),而低水平抗-HBs阳性并不能防止术后新发乙型肝炎(RR=1.32)。15例新发乙型肝炎时间为肝移植术后2~47个月(中位时间8个月),13例(86.67%)同时出现HBV DNA阳性,7例(46.67%)出现生物化学异常(均为HBV DNA阳性)。经核苷类似物治疗11例(73.33%)发生HBsAg血清学转换,但1例停药后HBsAg复阳,5例持续HBsAg阳性,慢性化率为33.33%,高于非移植人群。结论非乙型肝炎相关性肝移植术后存在新发乙型肝炎的风险,慢性化率高于非移植人群,应规范预防措施。     

Risk factors for de novo hepatitis B infection in pediatric living donor liver transplantation

AIM: To investigate the incidence of de novo hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection after pediatric living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) and to analyze the risk factors associated with this de novo HBV infection.METHODS: The clinical and laboratory data of children who underwent LDLT from June 2010 to September 2012 in First Center Hospital in Tianjin, China, were retrospectively included in the study. Intrahepatic HBV DNA in donors and recipients was quantified by real-time polymerase chain reaction using DNA extracted from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues.RESULTS: Between June 2010 to September 2012, 32 consecutive pediatric patients underwent LDLT in our institute. Thirty LDLT patients (13 girls and 17 boys) were followed up for a median of 15 mo, of whom 53.3% (16/30) were hepatitis B core antibody (HBcAb) positive and 36.7% (11/30) were hepatitis B surface antibody (HBsAb)/HBcAb positive before transplantation. Sixteen of the children received HBcAb-positive allografts, and 43.7% (7/16) of the grafts were found to be intrahepatic HBV DNA positive. De novo HBV infection developed in 16.1% (5/30) of the children within a median of 11 mo after transplantation. All five of the HBV-infected children had received HBcAb-positive allografts, four of which were intrahepatic HBV DNA positive. Two of the children developed de novo HBV infection despite the preoperative presence of both HBsAb and HBcAbCONCLUSION: In pediatric recipients, positive intrahepatic HBV DNA in allografts could be a risk factor for de novo HBV infection from HBcAb-positive allografts. HBsAb/HBcAb positivity in pediatric LDLT patients before transplantation exhibited only weak effectiveness in protecting them against de novo HBV infection from HBcAb-positive allografts.     

Prophylaxis against recurrent hepatitis B virus infection after liver transplantation

Over the past two decades, there have been significant improvements in the outcomes of liver transplantation for all indications. Liver transplantation for hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, once considered a contraindication to transplantation, now achieves survival rates of 91% at 1 year, 81% at 5 years, and 73% at 10 years. This improvement in outcome has occurred largely with the introduction of therapies that prevent reinfection of the hepatic allograft and thus recurrent hepatitis B, cirrhosis, and graft failure. In the United States, it is estimated that 1.25 million people are chronically infected with HBV, resulting in approximately 5000 liver-related deaths and 250 liver transplantations annually. This review summarizes the important accomplishments in the successful application of liver transplantation for liver disease related to HBV infection.     

Management of hepatitis B virus infection after liver transplantation

Chronic hepatitis B virus(HBV) infection is responsible for up to 30% of cases of liver cirrhosis and up to 53% of cases of hepatocellular carcinoma. Liver transplantation(LT) is the best therapeutic option for patients with end-stage liver failure caused by HBV. The success of transplantation, though, depends on receiving prophylactic treatment against post-transplant viral reactivation. In the absence of prophylaxis, liver transplantation due to chronic hepatitis B(CHB) is associated with high rates of viral recurrence and poor survival. The introduction of treatment with hepatitis B immunoglobulins(HBIG) during the 1990 s and later the incorporation of oral antiviral drugs have improved the prognosis of these patients. Thus, LT for CHB is now a universally accepted option, with an estimated 5 years survival of around 85% vs the 45% survival seen prior to the introduction of HBIG. The combination of lamivudine plus HBIG has for many years been the most widely used prophylactic regimen. However, with the appearance of new more potent oral antiviral agents associated with less resistance(e.g., entecavir and tenofovir) for the treatment of CHB, new prophylactic strategies are being designed, either in combination with HBIG or alone as a monotherapy. These advances have allowed for more personalized prophylaxis based on the individual risk profile of a given patient. In addition, the small pool of donors has required the use of anti-HBc-positive donors(with the resulting possibility of transmitting HBV from these organs), which has been made possible by suitable prophylactic regimens.     

Favorable outcome of de novo hepatitis B infection after liver transplantation with lamivudine and adefovir therapy

Abstract: De novo hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) always progresses to chronic hepatitis because of the patients' immunocompromised status, and only a few then acquire hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) seroconversion even with efficient antiviral therapy. Here we reported the case of a liver transplant recipient with de novo HBV infection who had a favorable outcome after lamivudine (LAM) and adefovir dipivoxil (ADV) antiviral therapy. The patient received OLT because of end‐stage primary biliary cirrhosis and was found to have de novo HBV infection 3 months later. She was treated with LAM, and her serum HBV DNA turned undetectable 2 weeks later. However, serum HBV DNA turned detectable again after 9 months of LAM therapy and a YMDD mutation was detected. The addition of ADV was efficient to treat LAM‐resistant HBV. After 3 months of combination therapy, LAM was stopped and ADV monotherapy was continued. HBsAg seroconversion was achieved after an additional 12 months. The prevention and treatment of de novo HBV infection after OLT is discussed.     

High prevalence of hepatitis B-antibody loss and a case report of de novo hepatitis B virus infection in a child after living-donor liver transplantation

AIM To assess the seroprevalence of hepatitis B virus(HBV) immunity among previously vaccinated pediatric liver transplant recipients and present a case report of de novo hepatitis B infection after liver transplantation.METHODS This study focused on children with chronic liver diseases who received primary hepatitis B immunization and had a complete dataset of anti-HBs before and after liver transplantation between May 2001 and June 2017. Medical records were retrospectively reviewed for potential factors relating to HBV immunity loss. RESULTS In total, 50 children were recruited. The mean time from liver transplantation to anti-HBs testing was 2.53 ± 2.11 years. The mean anti-HBs levels before and after liver transplantation were 584.41 ± 415.45 and 58.56 ± 6.40 IU/L, respectively. The rate of nonimmunity(anti-HBs 10 IU/L) in the participants was 46%(n = 26) at one year, 57%(n = 7) at two years and 82%(n = 17) at three years following liver transplantation. The potential factors relating to HBV immunity loss after liver transplantation were identified as anti-HBs(P = 0.002), serum albumin(P = 0.04), total bilirubin(P = 0.001) and direct bilirubin(P = 0.003) before liver transplantation. A five-year-old boy with biliary cirrhosis received 4 doses of HBV vaccine with an anti-HBs titer of 1000 IU/L and underwent liver transplantation; his anti-HBc-negative father was the donor. After liver transplantation, the boy had stenosis of the hepatic artery up to the inferior vena cava anastomosis and underwent venoplasty three times. He also received subcutaneous injections of enoxaparin for 5 mo and 20 transfusions of blood components. Three years and ten months after the liver transplantation, transaminitis was detected with positive tests for HBs Ag, HBe Ag, and anti-HBc(2169.61, 1706 and 8.45, respectively; cutoff value: 1.00) and an HBV viral load of 33212320 IU/mL.CONCLUSION The present study showed that loss of hepatitis B immunity after liver transplantation is unexpectedly common. In our case report, despite high levels of antiHBs prior to transplantation, infection occurred at a time when, unfortunately, the child had lost immunity to hepatitis B after liver transplantation.     

Herpes simplex virus hepatitis after pediatric liver transplantation

T. Hori, Y. Ogura, S. Okamoto, A. Nakajima, K. Kami, J. Iwasaki, Y. Yonekawa, K. Ogawa, F. Oike, Y. Takada, H. Egawa, J.H. Nguyen, S. Uemoto. Herpes simplex virus hepatitis after pediatric liver transplantation
Transpl Infect Dis 2010: 12: 353–357. All rights reserved Abstract: Herpes simplex virus (HSV) hepatitis has a fatal impact on the outcome of organ transplanted recipients. Here, we present a thought‐provoking case of HSV hepatitis in a high‐risk recipient after living‐related liver transplantation (LRLT). A 1‐month‐old female newborn infant was affected by HSV encephalitis. Fulminant hepatic failure (FHF) of unknown etiology occurred suddenly at 4.4 years of age. Viral infections were ruled out as the cause of FHF. Intensive care including plasma exchange (PE) was started, and the preoperative treatments for ABO incompatibility were performed. Thereafter, LRLT was performed emergently. Although strong immunosuppression for ABO incompatibility was continued after LRLT, antibody‐mediated rejection (AMR) occurred on postoperative day (POD) 4. PE was repeated and improvements were obtained. However, liver dysfunction appeared on POD 8. Histopathological findings of liver needle biopsy clearly revealed HSV hepatitis, although the results of HSV DNA and antibody titer in blood sample did not clearly indicate HSV infection. On POD 21, thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) occurred and the plasma and immunoglobulin were replenished. Our pediatric recipient recovered successfully from AMR, HSV hepatitis, TMA, and repeated sepsis. We conclude that well considered therapy based on the real‐time detection of HSV hepatitis is indispensable for the further improvements of outcome in HSV hepatitis after LRLT.     

Current prophylactic strategies against hepatitis B virus recurrence after liver transplantation

Prophylactic strategies against hepatitis B virus （HBV） recurrence after liver transplantation （LT） are essential for patients with HBV-related disease. Before LT, lamivudine （LAM） was proposed to be down-graded from first- to second-line therapy. In contrast, adefovir dipivoxil （ADV） has been approved not only as first-line therapy but also as rescue therapy for patients with LAM resistance. Furthermore, combination of ADV and LAM may result in lower risk of ADV resistance than ADV monotherapy. Other new drugs such as entecavir, telbivudine and tenofovir, are probably candidates for the treatment of hepatitis-B-surface-antigen-positive patients awaiting LT. After LT, low-dose intramuscular hepatitis B immunoglobulin （HBIG）, in combination with LAM, has been regarded as the most cost-effective regimen for the prevention of post-transplant HBV recurrence in recipients without pretransplant LAM resistance and rapidly accepted in many transplant centers. With the introduction of new antiviral drugs, new hepatitis B vaccine and its new adjuvants, post-transplant HBIG-free therapeutic regimens with new oral antiviral drug combinations or active HBV vaccination combined with adjuvants will be promising, particularly in those patients with low risk of HBV recurrence.     

Response to steroids in de novo autoimmune hepatitis after liver transplantation

Graft dysfunction associated with autoimmune phenomena has been recently described in liver transplant recipients without previous autoimmune disease. However, the natural history, diagnostic criteria, and definitive therapeutic approach of de novo autoimmune hepatitis (de novo AIH) are poorly understood. We report 12 cases of de novo AIH 27.9 +/- 24.5 months after liver transplantation: the outcome of 7 patients treated with steroids is compared with a group of 5 nontreated patients. Nontreated patients lost the graft after 5.8 +/- 2.6 months from de novo AIH onset. All treated patients were alive after 48.4 +/- 14 (29-65) months from de novo AIH onset, and none of them lost the graft. However, 5 patients relapsed in relation to steroid tapering. All patients presented an atypical antiliver/kidney cytosolic autoantibody, associated to classical autoantibodies in 10 cases. Histological study showed several degrees of lobular necrosis and inflammatory infiltrate. HLA antigen frequencies and matching were compared with 2 control groups (16 orthotopic liver transplantation [LTX] patients without de novo AIH and 929 healthy blood donors); de novo AIH patients showed a higher prevalence of HLA-DR3 (54.5% vs. 25.9%, P =.04) than healthy controls, which was not observed in LTX patients without de novo AIH. In conclusion, this new disease should be included in the differential diagnosis of unexplained graft dysfunction. In addition, treatment with steroids results in a dramatically improved outcome. However, maintenance therapy is usually required.     

Protection against hepatitis B virus infection by immunization with hepatitis B core antigen

Although antibody to the hepatitis B surface antigen usually provides protection against hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, recent reports indicate that this is not always the case. To study the possible role of immune responses to hepatitis B core antigen in immunity to HBV infection, chimpanzees were immunized with chimpanzee liver-derived or genetically cloned hepatitis B core antigen and later challenged with known infectious HBV. Two chimpanzees, which received liver-derived or cloned hepatitis B core antigen in Freund's adjuvant and developed hepatitis B core antibody and low-titer hepatitis B e antibody, were completely protected against HBV infection following challenge. In contrast, another chimpanzee, which received liver-derived hepatitis B core antigen without adjuvant, developed hepatitis B core antibody only in serum and had a subclinical HBV infection when challenged. These findings demonstrate that protection against HBV infection can be induced by immunization with hepatitis B core antigen in adjuvant and that protection, in this case, is not solely dependent on hepatitis B surface antibody. This fact has important implications in our understanding of the biology of HBV infection and in the design of future hepatitis B vaccines.     

Therapeutic effect of adefovir dipivoxil on recurrent or de novo infection of hepatitis B virus after liver transplantation: a preliminary report]

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Anti-viral therapy using hepatitis B immune globulin and lamivudine could not prevent HBV recurrence after liver transplantation (LT) completely. Adefovir dipivoxil is a acyclic nucleotide phosphate analogue and known to have potent anti-HBV effect. In this study, we analyzed the therapeutic effect of adefovir for recurrent or de novo HBV infection after LT. METHODS: From December 2002 to October 2004, adefovir was administered in 12 post-LT patients of HBV infection (11 recurrent and 1 de novo infection). In these patients, lamivudine and other combined therapies were used before the introduction of adefovir. Thereafter, adefovir combined with lamivudine was administered to all patients. RESULTS: The duration of adefovir administration was 5.5-18 (median, 15.5) months. The median values of serum AST and ALT levels were significantly reduced from 86+/-80 IU/L and 140+/-103 IU/L, respectively before the adefovir administration to 42+/-19 IU/L and 38+/-33 IU/L after 2 months of administration. This trend of improved liver function persisted throughout the follow-up period. HBeAg seroconversion was achieved in 4 of 10 patients (40%) and HBsAg seroconversion was observed in 1 of 10 patients (10%). HBV DNA levels have decreased to undetectable levels by hybridization assay in 6 of 7 patients within the first 2 months of therapy. Nephrotoxicity and hypophosphatemia were not found in all of these patients. CONCLUSIONS: Based on this preliminary result, adefovir dipivoxil seems to be an effective and safe antiviral agent leading to viral inhibition and clinical improvement in post-LT patients with recurrent or de novo HBV infection.     

De novo hepatitis B infection after liver transplantation--evidence for the need of active hepatitis B vaccination of liver transplantation candidates

BACKGROUND: Liver transplantation (LTX) is a generally accepted therapy in the treatment of acute and chronic end-stage liver diseases. Recurrent and de-novo hepatitis B and C virus infection following liver transplantation have been shown. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We analyzed retrospectively the course of patients treated at our transplant center between 01.01.1992 and 31.12.1997, who does not show any markers of an active hepatitis B (HBV) infection prior to liver transplantation but developed replicative HBV infection afterwards. During this period 544 liver transplantations were performed in 452 patients, 395 of whom were HBs-Ag negative prior to transplantation. RESULTS: Six patients were identified who underwent LTX for non-hepatitis B-induced liver disease, and who subsequently developed a highly replicative de-novo HBV-infection six to twelve months (mean 8.5 months) after LTX. In each of the patients HBV de-novo infection showed clinically and biochemically a mild but chronic course without evidence of liver failure during a maximum follow-up period of 14 to 37 months (mean 26 months). Liver biopsies taken in four patients nine to 22 months after LTX showed chronic active hepatitis (n = 2), chronic portal hepatitis (n = 1), and a mild rejection (n = 1). The source of de-novo HBV infections remained unclear, but inapparent infection of patients pre-LTX was ruled out so that the donor livers or postoperative infection appear to be the likely source. CONCLUSION: In our center the number of HBV de-novo infections (1.5%, 6/395) following liver transplantation was comparable to the results published by other centers, but in our center no inapparent infection of patients prior to LTX was observed. For further minimization of HBV de-novo infection following LTX active HBV immunization of patients awaiting LTX is recommended.     

Prevention of de novo hepatitis B infection in liver allograft recipients with previous hepatitis B infection or hepatitis B vaccination

OBJECTIVES: To assess de novo hepatitis B virus (HBV) transmission from liver donors with HBV serum markers (HBM) to their recipients and the need for HBV vaccination before liver transplantation. METHODS: A total of 108 orthotopic liver transplantations for nonviral disease and the risk of developing de novo hepatitis B based on HBMs before transplantation have been studied. Of the 108 patients, 94 met the study criteria and were divided into two groups: 27 who had HBMs before transplantation (from past infection or by previous vaccination) and 67 who had no HBM. Development of de novo hepatitis B was determined by analytical, serological, and histological parameters. RESULTS: No case (0%) of de novo hepatitis B was detected in the pretransplantation HBM group, whereas there were 10 cases (14.5%) in the other group (p < 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: The presence of pretransplantation HBM in liver transplant recipients protects these patients against the development of de novo hepatitis B. This is especially important considering that there is a high prevalence of donors with positive hepatitis B core antibody (especially in some countries), and that these donors transmit HBV infection to recipients without HBM in a significant number of cases. Thus, vaccination against HBV in patients who are candidates for liver transplantation is fundamental to avoid cases of de novo hepatitis B.