Journal List > Korean J Clin Microbiol > v.13(1) > 1038215

Yoon, Sim, Kim, Park, Sohn, Chun, and Kim: Clinical Characterization of Hepatitis A Infection Complicated with Acute Kidney Injury and Sequence Analysis of the VP1 Region

Abstract

Background

Recently hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection has propagated among adults in Korea due to the epidemiologic shift in the age-specific HAV seroprevalence. There are apparently increase in symptomatic patients with severe diseases. This study aimed to investigate clinical and molecular characteristics related to acute kidney injury (AKI) occurrence in HAV infection.

Methods

A case-control study was conducted in a university hospital between February 2009 and July 2009. Clinical findings of non-fulminant HAV infection complicated with AKI (N=5) were compared to those without AKI (N=60). The complete sequence of the VP1 region (900 bp) was amplified from stool specimens by the RT-PCR to determine HAV genotypes and genetic variations between the two groups.

Results

Among 65 patients with non-fulminant HAV infections, 5 patients (7.7%) developed AKI. In multivariate analyses, higher level of C-reactive protein was independently associated with AKI occurrence in non-fulminant HAV infections [odds ratios=1.094, 95% confidence interval=1.011−1.183]. HAV RNA was detected in 57 (86.4%) patients: 53 strains (93.0%) showed genotype IIIA and 4 strains presented genotype IA. All HAV isolates from the AKI patients belonged to the genotype IIIA and shared the identical sequences with those from the non-AKI patients.

Conclusion

This study indicates that higher level of C-reactive protein is associated with AKI occurrence in non-fulminant HAV infections. There were no specific nucleotide or amino acid substitutions in the VP1 region associated with AKI occurrence.

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Fig. 1.
The phylogenetic tree constructed for the nucleotide sequences of VP1 region of hepatitis A virus genome. The tree includes 66 strains isolated from this study and the reference strains. ∗The strains isolated from the non-fulminant hepatitis with acute kidney injury. The strains isolated from the fulminant hepatitis. The reference strains.
kjcm-13-7f1.tif
Table 1.
The primer sequences used for amplification of the VP1 region of the hepatitis A virus genome by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction
Primers Position Nucleotide sequences The predicted size (bp)
VP1-1N-F 2184-2203 5′ CATGC(T/C)ATGGATGT(C/T)AC(A/C/T)AC 3″ 1,010
VP1-2-R 3174-3193 5′ GACARYTCTTCYTGAGCATA 3′  
VP1-A-F 2122-2145 5′ CTCATGTTAGAGTTAATGTTTATC 3′ 1,063
VP1-A-R 3164-3184 5′ TCCTGAGCATATTTGAGTCTT 3′  
VP1-AN-F 2133-2155 5′ GTTAATGTTTATCTTTCAGCAAT 3′ 987
VP1-AN-R 3098-3119 5′ TTCTATATGACTCTCAAATCTT 3′  

Position relative the the genome of HAV strain HM175 (Accession no. M14707).

Table 2.
Comparative analyses of demographic and clinical features between the non-fulminant HAV infections with or without acute kidney injury
Variables Cases (N=5) Controls (N=60) Univariate P Multivariate OR (95% CI)
Male, n (%) 5 (100) 34 (56.7) 0.078  
Age, years 39.0±2.9 33.3±0.85 0.066 1.046 (0.806−1.357)
Malignancy 0 1 (1.7) 1.000  
History of hepatitis B carrier 0 1 (1.7) 1.000  
Genotype, IIIA 5 (100) 47 (92.2) 1.000  
Symptom/sign        
 Fever 4 (80.0) 48 (80.0) 1.000  
 Fatigue 3 (60.0) 39 (65.0) 1.000  
 Myalgia 1 (20.0) 17 (28.3) 1.000  
 Nausea/vomiting 4 (80.0) 47 (78.3) 1.000  
 Abdominal discomfort 2 (40.0) 25 (41.7) 1.000  
 Headache 0 10 (16.7) 1.000  
 Jaundice 3 (60.0) 6 (10.0) 0.017  
 Diarrhea 1 (20.0) 7 (11.7) 0.493  
Laboratory finding (peak)        
 WBC, ∗109/L 6.0±2.1 4.6±2.1 0.168  
 Platelets, ∗109/L 185.2±48.1 160.2±69.8 0.436  
 PT, INR 1.3±0.5 1.3±0.3 0.787  
 ALT, U/L 2,965±1,586 4,077±2,739 0.161  
 AST, U/L 3,833±3,217 2,477±1,925 0.157  
 TB, mg/dL 15.6±3.6 7.4±5.9 0.004 1.058 (0.810−1.382)
 Albumin, g/dL 3.2±0.4 3.6±0.4 0.035 1.413 (0.190−104.317)
 Cr, mg/dL 11.14±4.9 0.9±0.2 0.000  
 CRP, mg/dL 70.3±30.2 18.5±17.3 0.000 1.094 (1.011−1.183)

OR, odds ratio; Age adjusted

CI, confidence interval. Abbreviations: WBC, white blood cells; PT, prothrombin time; INR, international normalized ratio; ALT, alanine transaminase; AST, aspirate dehydrogenase; Cr, creatinine; CRP, C-reactive protein.

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