Abstract:
BACKGROUND
Hepatitis A virus (HAV) is a common cause of acute hepatitis worldwide. The
epidemiology of HAV is highly dynamic. This necessitates current epidemiological data that can
inform actionable recommendations on HAV vaccination and other preventive measures. The
study aimed to determine the seroprevalence and genotypes of HAV infections among acute viral
hepatitis patients during the January to March 2016 Mombasa outbreak and Kenyan food
handlers.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The study involved 227 healthy food handlers from Bomet County and 43 acute hepatitis
patients from Mombasa General Hospital during the 2015–2016 outbreak. This study was
approved by the KEMRI Scientific and Ethics Review Unit (SERU No: 2209), and all respondents
provided informed written consent. Samples were tested for anti-HAV IgM antibodies to confirm
HAV infection. Positive cases underwent nested PCR, sequencing, and genotyping to identify
HAV genotypes, providing insights into the genetic characteristics of the circulating strains in
these populations.
RESULTS
The mean age of the study subjects was 34.9 years. 16 of 270 (5.93%) samples were
positive for anti-HAV IgM antibodies. The HAV seroprevalence was higher among acute hepatitis
patients in Mombasa (n=12/43; 27.9%) compared to the food handlers in Bomet (n=4/227; 1.76%).
Of the 16 seropositive samples, only four collected from acute viral hepatitis patients were HAV
RNA positive. RNA sequencing from these four samples demonstrated the presence of HAV
genotype IB (GenBank accession numbers ON832830–832833).
CONCLUSION
The overall HAV seroprevalence rate in our studied populations was 5.93%, with a higher
rate among the acute hepatitis patients in Mombasa. HAV genotype IB, associated with water
contamination, was observed within the study population.
