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Clinical Microbiology Reviews, January 2006, p. 63-79, Vol. 19, No. 1
0893-8512/06/$08.00+0 doi:10.1128/CMR.19.1.63-79.2006
Diagnosis of Hepatitis A Virus Infection: a Molecular Approach
Omana V. Nainan,1,
Guoliang Xia,1*
Gilberto Vaughan,1,2 and
Harold S. Margolis1,3
Division of Viral Hepatitis, National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia 30333,1
Institute of Diagnosis and Epidemiologic References, Mexico City 11340, Mexico,2
Pediatric Dengue Vaccine Initiative, International Vaccine Institute, Seoul, Korea3

SUMMARY
Current serologic tests provide the foundation for diagnosis
of hepatitis A and hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection. Recent
advances in methods to identify and characterize nucleic acid
markers of viral infections have provided the foundation for
the field of molecular epidemiology and increased our knowledge
of the molecular biology and epidemiology of HAV. Although HAV
is primarily shed in feces, there is a strong viremic phase
during infection which has allowed easy access to virus isolates
and the use of molecular markers to determine their genetic
relatedness. Molecular epidemiologic studies have provided new
information on the types and extent of HAV infection and transmission
in the United States. In addition, these new diagnostic methods
have provided tools for the rapid detection of food-borne HAV
transmission and identification of the potential source of the
food contamination.

INTRODUCTION
The disease described as "jaundice" in
ancient Greek, Roman,
and Chinese literature
probably was viral hepatitis. A viral
etiology was postulated as the
cause of certain forms of jaundice
as early as 1912, and the term
"infectious hepatitis" was used
because the disease
often occurred in epidemics
(
43). Hepatitis
A, a term
first introduced by Krugman et al. in 1967
(
138),
is now known to
be caused by infection with hepatitis A virus
(HAV), one of five
viruses, each belonging to a different family,
whose primary site of
replication is the liver.
Early epidemiological studies further
characterized hepatitis into infectious and serum forms, based on
patterns of disease transmission
(17,
82,
102,
103,
104). Epidemiologic and
transmission studies with humans showed that infectious hepatitis, or
hepatitis A, was transmitted primarily by the fecal-oral route
(136,
137,
138). In 1973, HAV was
identified in the stools of infected persons
(80), which eventually
led to development of diagnostic tests, propagation in cell culture,
molecular characterization, and development of a vaccine
(80,
193).

HEPATITIS A VIRUS INFECTION
Clinical Features
Infection by HAV is generally
self-limited and can produce effects
that range from a lack of symptoms
to death from fulminant hepatitis.
The likelihood of clinically
apparent disease associated with
HAV infection increases with age. In
children <6 years of
age, most infections (70%) are
asymptomatic (
98), and if
illness
does occur, it is usually anicteric. Among older children and
adults,
infection is usually symptomatic, with jaundice occurring in
>70%
of patients
(
141). After an average
incubation period of 28
days (range, 15 to 50 days), most HAV-infected
persons developed
nonspecific constitutional signs and symptoms
followed by gastrointestinal
symptoms. Typically, these include fever,
malaise, anorexia,
nausea, abdominal discomfort, dark urine,
and jaundice, all
of which usually last <2 months.
There is no evidence of
chronic liver disease or persistent infection
following infection.
However, 15 to 20% of the patients may have
prolonged or relapsing
disease lasting up to 6 months
(
93,
218), and HAV has been
detected
in serum for as long as 6 to 12 months after infection
(
19).
Fulminant
hepatitis is a rare complication of hepatitis A. The risk of acute
liver failure ranges from 0.015 to 0.5%, and the highest rates occur
among young children and older adults with underlying chronic liver
disease (2,
31). In a large epidemic
in Shanghai, China, involving over 300,000 adolescents and young
adults, 47 deaths (0.015%) were reported
(100,
263). Other than older
age and underlying chronic liver disease, no other host factors have
been identified as predisposing patients to fulminant hepatitis A
(250). Among persons
referred to a tertiary care center with acute hepatic failure in the
United States, 20 of 295 (6.8%) had hepatitis A
(210). No single viral
factor has been associated with fulminant disease. Reported findings
among persons with fulminant disease include lower viral load
(198) and nucleotide
and/or amino acids substitutions in the 5'
untranslated region (5'UTR), P2 region, and P3 region of the
HAV genome (86; CDC,
unpublished data).
Pathogenesis and Natural History of HAV Infection
The pathogenetic events that
occur during HAV infection have
been determined in experimental
infection of nonhuman primates
and natural infection of humans (Fig.
1). HAV is primarily hepatotropic;
it replicates in the liver, produces a
viremia, and is excreted
in bile and shed in the stools of infected
persons. Feces can
contain up to 10
9 infectious virions per
gram and is the primary
source of HAV infection
(
221,
241). Peak fecal
excretion, and
hence infectivity, occurs before the onset of jaundice,
symptoms,
or elevation of liver enzymes
(
221,
241) and declines after
jaundice
appears. Compared to adults, children and infants can shed HAV
for
longer periods, i.e., up to several months after the
onset of
clinical illness
(
35,
241). Fecal shedding of
HAV has been shown
to occur as late as 6 months after diagnosis of
infection in
premature infants
(
205).
Viremia
occurs within 1 to 2 weeks after HAV exposure and persists
through the
period of liver enzyme elevation, based on studies
in humans and
experimentally infected chimpanzees
(
8,
48,
91,
137,
145,
157).
Virus
concentrations in serum are 2 to 3 log
10 units lower than
those
in stool (
19,
48,
145). An analysis of
serum specimens collected
prospectively during human and chimpanzee HAV
infection showed
that HAV RNA was present for

3 to 4 weeks
before the onset of
jaundice and that virus concentrations were highest
during the
period that precedes onset of liver enzyme elevations
(
19).
Viremia may be
present for a much longer period during the convalescent
phase of
hepatitis A than was previously appreciated
(
19,
84,
264),
although virus
concentration is lowest during this period.
The virus is also
shed in saliva in most hepatitis A patients. In experimentally infected
marmosets (156,
187), the viral load
appears to be 1 to 3 log10 units lower than that found in
serum (156). However, no
epidemiological data suggest that saliva is a significant source of HAV
transmission.
A humoral immune response to HAV structural
proteins occurs prior to onset of symptoms. Immunoglobulin M (IgM)
antibodies to HAV (IgM anti-HAV) are detectable at or prior to onset of
clinical illness, decline in about 3 to 6 months, and become
undetectable by commercially available diagnostic tests
(127). IgG antibodies to
HAV (IgG anti-HAV) appear soon after IgM, persist for years after
infection, and confer lifelong immunity
(220). IgA is also
produced during infection for a limited time
(4,
152). The role of IgA
antibodies in the response against HAV is still unknown. Unlike other
Picornaviridae family members, HAV does not seem to elicit an
effective intestinal immune response
(229).
IgG and IgA
anti-HAV are detected in serum, saliva, urine, and feces
(39,
60,
115,
123,
151,
152,
177,
178,
183,
214). Saliva tests have
been reported as an alternative to conventional serum testing for
anti-HAV due to their simplicity of sample collection
(115,
177,
178). Several studies
have demonstrated the benefits of implementing saliva testing as
screening tool in outbreak investigations and epidemiological studies
(110,
115,
140). However, the
sensitivity of detecting anti-HAV in saliva is 1 to 3 log10
units lower than that with serum
(156,
177,
178; CDC, unpublished
data).
Antibodies against nonstructural proteins are also
produced, although their role in maintenance of immunity is probably
less important than that of antibodies to capsid antigens due to their
low concentration and lack of neutralization capacity. Antibodies to
nonstructural proteins have been detected in humans and experimentally
infected chimpanzees but are absent in vaccinated individuals
(126,
202). However, because
of what appears to be a variable host antibody response during HAV
replication, a diagnostic test for these antibodies, which could be
used to complement current anti-HAV testing and differentiate
previously infected from vaccinated persons, has not been developed
(201,
233).

HEPATITIS A VIRUS
HAV is a nonenveloped RNA virus 27 to 32 nm diameter in
size,
with an icosahedral symmetry, which belongs to the genus
Hepatovirus of the
Picornaviridae family. Unlike
other members of the family,
HAV requires a long adaptation period to
grow in cell culture,
replicates slowly, and rarely produces a
cytopathic effect (
57,
107,
146).
HAV is stable in
the environment for at least 1 month
(
162)
and is more
resistant to heating and chlorine inactivation than
is
poliovirus. Inactivation of HAV requires heating foods to
>85°C
for 1 min, and disinfection of surfaces requires
1 min of contact
with a 1:100 dilution of sodium hypochlorite (i.e.,
household
bleach), whereas poliovirus is inactivated at 72°C
for 15
s and by treatment with a 1:125 dilution of bleach for
30 s
(
159,
234,
257).
Genomic Organization
HAV has a positive-polarity, single-stranded
7.5-kb genome (
45,
46,
171)
that is organized
similarly to those of the other picornaviruses
(Fig.
2). The 5'UTR is 734 to 740 nucleotides (nt) long and
has a
covalently linked virus-specific protein (VPg) rather
than a cap
structure (
259).
Translation occurs in a cap-independent
fashion under control of an
internal ribosome entry site located
within the 5'UTR
(
21). The translation
terminator sequence,
the 3'UTR of 40 to 80 nucleotides, has a
poly(A) tract (
46)
(Table
1). The remainder of the genome is composed of a single
open reading frame
with three distinct regions (P1, P2, and
P3) and is translated as a
single polyprotein of 2,225 to 2,227
amino acids
(
10,
46). This polyprotein
subsequently undergoes
cleavage mediated by a viral protease (3Cpro)
(
211), which results
in
production of four capsid and several nonstructural proteins
(Fig.
2; Table
1).
HAV Genetic Diversity
HAV displays a high degree of antigenic
(amino acid) and genetic
(nucleotide) conservation throughout the
genome (
45,
46,
147,
200,
207).
However, enough
genetic diversity exists to define several HAV
genotypes and
subgenotypes (
200). The
entire nucleic acid sequences
of several HAV strains have been
determined by molecular cloning
(
10,
45,
46,
96,
171,
182,
243,
244),
and a large number
of HAV isolates have been characterized by
sequencing of short genome
segments. The genomic regions most
commonly used to define HAV
genotypes include (i) the C terminus
of the VP3 region
(
116), (ii) the N
terminus of the VP1 region
(
5,
112,
199,
203),
(iii) the 168-bp
junction of the VP1/P2A regions
(
116,
200,
203),
(iv) the 390-bp
region of the VP1-P2B regions
(
112,
170), and
(v) the entire
VP1 region (
52,
167) (Fig.
2; Table
2).
When sequence variation within the VP1/P2A junction is used
to
define genotypes and subgenotypes, genotypes have >15%
nucleotide
variation between isolates and subgenotypes have 7 to 7.5%
nucleotide
variation
(
200). Seven HAV
genotypes have been identified; four
genotypes (I, II, III, and VII)
are of human origin, and three
(IV, V, VI) are of simian origin.
Genotypes II and VII were
initially defined based on a single isolate
for each (
34,
200).
However, further
investigations have reclassified genotype VII
as a subgenotype of
genotype II (
52,
154). Genotypes I and
III
are the most prevalent genotypes isolated from humans.
The
three simian genotypes were each defined by unique nucleotide sequences
from the P1 regions of HAV strains recovered from species of Old World
monkeys. In addition, all simian HAVs have a distinct signature
sequence at the VP3/VP1 junction which distinguishes these strains from
human HAVs (20,
167,
248). Genotype IV was
recovered from a cynomolgus macaque (Macaca fasicularis)
imported from the Philippines
(167). The prototype
strain of genotype V, AGM27, was isolated from an African
green monkey (Cercopithecus aethiops) imported from Kenya
(248). Genotype VI was
also isolated from a cynomolgus macaque (M. fasicularis)
imported from Indonesia
(167,
200).
HAV Proteins
Although HAV was successfully adapted to cell culture
25 years
ago (
193), its
protein components have not been completely defined
(
107,
146).
Infected cells
contain low titers of virus, and consequently
protein chemistry has
been limited. The P1 region encodes the
three major proteins of the
viral capsid, i.e., VP1, VP2, and
VP3
(
90). A fourth viral
capsid protein (VP4), which is essential
for virion formation, is not
detected in mature viral particles.
Capsid proteins are primarily
cleaved from the precursor polyprotein
by the viral protease 3C
(
211), which is encoded
in the P3 region.
However, it remains unclear how the VP2/VP4 cleavage
occurs.
The native conformation of the VP1 and VP3 capsid proteins
forms
a single, dominant, antigenic epitope on the viral surface,
which
elicits a neutralizing antibody response. The predicted
functions of
nonstructural proteins encoded by the P2 and P3
regions are RNA
synthesis and virion formation. VPg is also
encoded in the P3 region
(
259) (Table
1; Fig.
2).
Antigenicity and Serotype
Only a single serotype of HAV exists, despite
genetic heterogeneity
at the nucleotide level. Individuals infected by
HAV in one
part of the world are protected from reinfection by HAV from
other
parts of the world. Immune globulin preparations containing
anti-HAV,
irrespective of their geographic origin, appear to provide
protection
from disease, and vaccines prepared from virus isolates
originating
in Australia or Costa Rica protect from infection worldwide
(
113,
172).
The
antigenic structure of the virus is relatively simple, with a
restricted number of overlapping epitopes combining to form a single
dominant antigenic site that interacts with virus-neutralizing
antibodies. These epitopes are highly conformational and are formed by
amino acid residues located on more than one capsid protein
(168,
185,
186,
228). Convalescent-phase
sera obtained from hepatitis A patents are reactive primarily to VP1
and to a lesser extent to VP0 and VP3
(254). Recombinant VP1
fusion protein expressed in Escherichia coli reacted with
rabbit anti-HAV serum
(180). However,
chimpanzees immunized with this recombinant protein produced antibodies
that reacted with VP1 of only denatured and not intact virus, and the
animals were not protected when they were challenged with wild-type HAV
(CDC, unpublished data). Empty particles appear to be antigenically
indistinguishable from infectious, RNA-containing virions, suggesting
that antigenicity may depend on assembly of the major capsid proteins
or smaller capsid precursors. An accurately processed and assembled
recombinant HAV polyprotein has been produced, which was able to elicit
neutralizing antibodies detected by commercial assays
(139,
262).
Naturally
occurring antigenic variants of HAV have been observed only among
strains isolated from Old World monkeys
(167,
248). These viruses are
genetically distinct from human HAV isolates and are not recognized by
certain monoclonal antibodies produced against human HAV
(128,
167). However, simian
HAV binds human polyclonal anti-HAV, and chimpanzees immunized with
these viruses had an antibody response that was protective against
infection with human HAV challenge
(78; CDC, unpublished
data). Recently, human HAV isolates with capsid amino acid
substitutions and deletions in the immunodominant antigenic site were
reported (52,
206). However, it is not
clear if capsid antigenicity or virus neutralization was affected by
these changes.

DIAGNOSTIC APPROACHES TO HAV DETECTION
Detection of HAV-Specific Antibodies
The humoral immune response plays the
pivotal role in the diagnosis
of HAV infection and the differentiation
of hepatitis A from
other types of viral hepatitis. There are a number
of commercially
available assays for the detection of IgM and total
anti-HAV
(
71,
122,
188). IgM, IgA, and IgG
anti-HAV are usually present
at the onset of symptoms (Fig.
1). Since hepatitis due to
HAV
infection is clinically indistinguishable from disease caused
by
other hepatitis viruses (i.e., HBV, HCV, HDV, and HEV), serologic
testing
is required to make the diagnosis
(
230).
Antibodies to structural proteins.
Diagnostically,
IgM anti-HAV has been used as the primary marker of acute infection
(58); it is comprised
mainly of antibodies against capsid proteins. A number of methods have
been used to detect this virus-specific antibody class,
including radioimmunoassay
(194),
immunochemical staining
(109), enzyme-linked
immunosorbent assay (61),
immunoblotting (254),
and dot blot immunogold filtration
(214). IgM anti-HAV
enzyme immunoassays are available commercially
(188) The commercially
available diagnostic assays are configured in such a manner that
although IgM antibodies may be present for long periods of time, the
lower concentrations found 4 to 6 months after the onset of infection
do not produce a positive test result
(230). However, the
current commercially available IgM assays detect antibody for a short
period of time in persons recently administered hepatitis A vaccine
(261).
Previous
(resolved) HAV infection is diagnosed by detection of IgG anti-HAV.
However, commercially available assays detect total anti-HAV (both IgG
and IgM antibodies). The presence of total anti-HAV and the absence of
IgM anti-HAV can be used to differentiate between past and current
infections.
Antibodies to structural proteins are produced
following immunization with hepatitis A vaccine. A small proportion (8
to 20%) of vaccinated persons have a transient IgM anti-HAV response
(148,
216,
219). IgG anti-HAV is
produced by all successfully immunized persons
(148,
216,
219). However, unless
they are modified, commercially available tests for total anti-HAV are
not sensitive enough to detect antibody concentrations in a significant
proportion of immunized persons, especially several years after
immunization (28,
148).
Antigen Detection
Cell culture propagation.
HAV has been grown in several cell types of human
and nonhuman
origins, including primary and secondary African green
monkey
kidney cells (
59,
253) and fetal rhesus
monkey kidney cells
(
83).
In contrast to most picornaviruses, HAV of human origin
requires an
extensive adaptation period before it grows in cell
culture, and once
adapted, HAV produces a persistent infection
and becomes attenuated, as
shown by not producing disease in
experimentally inoculated nonhuman
primates (
81). In
addition,
relatively low concentrations of virus and viral antigen are
produced
compared to other picornaviruses. Mutations in viral nucleic
acid
may play a major role in the adaptation of HAV in cell culture
(
47,
76,
77,
88)
and attenuation
(
79,
81). HAV replicates in
cell culture without
cytopathic signs of infection and without apparent
host cell
damage. Because of the lack of a cytopathic effect in cell
culture,
immunological assays are required to detect HAV antigen
(
217).
Methods commonly
used to quantitate infectivity include radioimmunofocus
assay
(
144), fluorescent focus
assay, in situ radioimmunoassay
(
217),
and in situ
hybridization
(
121).
Cytopathic
variants of HAV have been observed in selected cell culture systems.
These cytopathic viruses produce an acute rather than persistent
infection (55,
173). The replication
cycle of these variants is shorter (2 to 3 days) than that observed for
noncytopathic HAV, and they produce a much higher viral yield
(55).
Detection in clinical and environmental samples.
HAV
was first visualized in fecal extracts by electron microscopy using
homologous antiserum
(80), and similar
virus-like particles were observed in the sera and livers of marmosets
experimentally infected with human HAV
(192). HAV antigen has
been detected in stool, cell culture, and environmental samples by
using radioimmunoassays and enzyme immunoassays
(107,
165). Viremia during HAV
infection has been documented both by transmission studies
(138) and as a result of
outbreaks of posttransfusion hepatitis A
(176). However,
detection of antigen in blood has been difficult
(106) because
fibronectin can bind to HAV and mask antigenic determinants
required for immunological detection
(213). HAV capsid
polypeptides and viral RNA have been detected in IgM circulating immune
complexes isolated from experimentally infected chimpanzees
(158).
Molecular Detection Methods
Nucleic acid detection techniques are more
sensitive than immunoassays
for viral antigen to detect HAV in samples
of different origins
(e.g., clinical specimens, environmental samples,
or food).
HAV has been detected with techniques such as restriction
fragment
length polymorphism
(
94), single-strand
conformational polymorphism
(
85,
94),
Southern blotting
(
25,
27,
169,
208), nucleic acid
sequencing-based
amplification
(
118,
119,
120), nucleic acid
hybridization (
266),
and
reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) and antigen capture RT-PCR
(
56,
57,
116,
189,
199,
200).
Amplification of
viral RNA by RT-PCR is currently the most sensitive
and
widely used method for detection of HAV RNA.
Purification of
viral RNA from clinical and environmental samples is the first step in
RT-PCR, and different extraction platforms are often required,
depending on the source of the specimen. Early protocols for RNA
extraction from serum or stool included proteinase K
digestion followed by phenol-chloroform extraction and ethanol
precipitation (167,
199).
Subsequently, products which used guanidinium
thiocyanate-phenol-chloroform
(41) became commercially
available for extraction of RNA and total nucleic acids
(40) and increased the
sensitivity and specificity of HAV detection
(65,
112,
170). Antigen capture
RT-PCR (116) and
magnetic beads coated with anti-HAV
(124) have been used to
separate virus from potential inhibitors of reverse transcription and
PCRs that are often found in environmental and stool
samples. Automated RNA extraction protocols have been applied to HAV
detection. These have increased specimen throughput, are reproducible
and reliable, and have detection sensitivity similar to that of manual
extraction methods (142;
CDC, unpublished data).
The efficiency of reverse transcription
of RNA to cDNA can be reduced by the presence of inhibitors in the
source material. Engineered reverse transcriptase with no RNase
activity (RNase H) is believed to increase transcription efficiency,
although naturally occurring enzymes continue to be used for
identification of a variety of targets, including HAV, with high
specificity and sensitivity
(169,
226,
227). Although
thermostable enzymes may improve efficiency of the RT reaction by
reducing secondary structure and improving priming, their effect on HAV
detection has not been evaluated. Specific or random primers can be
used for the reverse transcription reaction
(226,
227). Random primers
along with specific primers have been routinely used in our laboratory
for the detection of HAV because of the increased sensitivity and
specificity (CDC, unpublished data).
Primer pairs (Table
2; Fig.
2) spanning the desired
genomic region are used to amplify cDNA. Nested PCR, where products
obtained from first-round PCR are used as a template for a second round
of PCR, has been used to amplify HAV from clinical and environmental
samples where the viral load is expected to be low
(19,
72,
92,
149,
169). Analysis of the
PCR product by probe hybridization also has been shown to
increase the sensitivity of detection
(62,
95,
116).
The
development of single-step RT-PCR methods, in which reverse
transcription and PCR are performed together, has considerably reduced
the time and handling during cDNA synthesis
(72,
149). However, this
method appears to reduce detection sensitivity by up to 1 log unit
compared to the two-step RT-PCR method (CDC, unpublished
data).
Multiplex RT-PCR, where genome sequences of more than one
organism are amplified simultaneously, provides the most efficient way
to detect multiple agents in clinical and environmental samples
compared to conventional RT-PCR amplification for each agent. This
method has been developed for simultaneous detection of HAV and HEV
(125) and of HAV,
rotavirus, and poliovirus
(92,
247).
Real-time
PCR, which has revolutionized nucleic acid detection by its high speed,
sensitivity, and reproducibility and minimization of contamination, has
been applied to the detection and quantification of HAV
(53). Real-time PCR has
been introduced in our laboratory for rapid analysis of specimens in
outbreak situations, with <36 h required from amplification to
nucleic acid sequence results. The increased speed of real-time PCR is
mainly due to reductions in amplification cycles, elimination of
post-PCR detection procedures, and availability of devices for
sensitive detection of amplified products. Small amplicons are
recommended, and this may also play a role in the speed; however, it
has been shown that decreasing the size of the PCR fragment does not
necessarily improve PCR performance
(174). Molecular beacons
(1,
155,
240) and TaqMan-based
assays (53) are a few of
the chemistries that have been used for real-time PCR detection of HAV.
Real-time PCR chemistries use primers and probes with separate
fluorogenic labels; the generation of a fluorescent signal depends on
the interaction between PCR products and/or probes
(24,
53,
155,
240). A DNA-binding
fluorophore, SYBR green, has been widely used because of its simplicity
(129,
131,
166). The advantage of
SYBR green over labeled probe-based detection platforms is the
detection of highly variable genome regions for which probe design is
often difficult (134).
SYBR green interference with nucleic acid sequencing can be eliminated
by performing a nested PCR without the
fluorophore.
Nucleic Acid Sequencing
Nucleic acid sequencing is performed on PCR products to confirm
their
specificity and provide the ultimate means to identify and
characterize
the organism. Nucleic acid sequencing of selected genomic
regions
of HAV has been used to determine the genetic relatedness of
isolates
(
112,
116,
170,
199,
200). The original
nucleic acid sequencing
methodology described by Sanger et al.
(
209), which required
independent
labeling reactions for each nucleotide and conventional gel
electrophoresis,
has been replaced by high-throughput methods,
including fluorescent
dyes for label terminators and capillary arrays
for electrophoresis,
which have improved sequencing speed and accuracy
(
160,
196).
Molecular Detection from Water and Food
HAV is stable in the environment,
especially when associated
with organic matter, and is resistant to low
pH and heating
(
107).
These characteristics facilitate the likelihood of transmission
by
contaminated food and water and also improve the likelihood
of
detection in environmental samples, including water and sewage
(
15).
Because
HAV grows so slowly in cell culture and because of the generally low
levels of contamination in environmental samples, virus detection
became feasible only with the availability of sensitive nucleic acid
detection methods. However, HAV detection in food has not been included
as a part of routine analysis of these outbreaks in most parts of the
world (9). The primary
reason is that because of the long disease incubation period,
implicated foods usually have been consumed or discarded by the time
the outbreak is recognized
(135). The same holds
true for detection of HAV in waterborne outbreaks, unless there is
ongoing contamination.
Detection in food.
HAV has been successfully isolated
from bivalve mollusks
(72,
73,
206), oysters
(44,
67), mussels
(36), and clams
(18,
132,
236,
237). Methods for
extraction of HAV RNA from food samples have included the use of
guanidine isothiocyanate followed by several precipitation steps with
polyethylene glycol (PEG) or ultracentrifugation
(72,
73,
237). The addition of
viral concentration steps (e.g., high pH or PEG precipitation)
followed by RNA extraction and purification using poly(dT)
magnetic beads has been shown to increase the sensitivity of HAV
detection from bivalve mollusk samples
(133).
Detection in water.
Concentration by filtration is
the classic approach for viral detection from water and wastewater,
including the use of beef extracts to elute virus from filters and PEG
for concentration (223).
However, these components can interfere with RT-PCR
(212). Ultrafiltration
has been used as an alternate method for virus concentration, and
vortex flow filtration followed by microcentrifugation has been used to
overcome the limitations of conventional concentration methods
(246).
Nucleic
acid hybridization assays using labeled probes were initially used to
detect HAV in contaminated water
(121). However, this
method had low sensitivity and required several logs of virus for
detection. Today, PCR is widely used for HAV detection in environmental
samples (62,
95,
124,
212,
246).

MOLECULAR EPIDEMIOLOGY OF HEPATITIS A
Molecular biomarkers have been used
to determine the genetic
relatedness of organisms, both to identify and
track modes and
chains of transmission and to characterize the
evolution of
organisms in host populations. New approaches from
disciplines
such as bioinformatics and molecular evolution have added
to
the understanding of both the epidemiology of agents within
host
populations and the dynamics of genetic changes within
the agent
itself. Molecular epidemiology has played an important
role in
improving the understanding of HAV infection by identifying
sources of
infection and the dynamics of virus
evolution.
Overview of Hepatitis A Epidemiology
Worldwide, the endemicity of HAV infection varies
according
to regional hygienic standards; the highest prevalence of
infection
occurs in regions with the lowest socioeconomic levels
(
12,
99).
The United States
generally has a low endemicity of HAV infection,
although high rates of
infection occur in certain populations
(
11,
28,
32).
Approximately every
decade, epidemics of hepatitis A have occurred
in the United States;
the last occurred in 1995. Although the
incidence of hepatitis A has
declined over the past decade,
primarily because of hepatitis A
immunization (
13,
14,
23,
163,
252,
255),
it remains a
frequently reported disease. In 2003, 7,653 cases
of hepatitis A were
reported to CDC (
30),
which, when corrected
for underreporting and asymptomatic infections
(
7,
255), represents
an
estimated 36,700 cases and 79,600
infections.
Modes of Transmission and Sources of HAV Infection
The most common reported source of
infection is household or
other close contact with an infected person
(
11,
28,
32). Other
potential
sources of infection include men having sex with men
(MSM), travel to
countries where HAV is endemic, and illicit
drug use. Contaminated food
and water are an infrequent source
of infection, although they have
been associated with outbreaks.
On rare occasions, HAV infection has
been transmitted by transfusion
of blood or blood products
(
145,
224).
Personal contact.
Most transmission occurs among
close contacts in households and extended-family settings
(225); this mode
accounts for at least 25% of infections. No identifiable source for
infection is reported for 40 to 50% of cases, and personal contact with
an unidentified source shedding HAV is likely to explain most of these
cases. A study in Salt Lake City, Utah, showed that 98 of 390 (25%)
household contacts of 167 infected cases without an identified
infection source had serologic evidence of recent HAV infection
(225). Children have the
highest incidence of infection, and infected young children with their
less scrupulous hygiene probably serve as a major source of
transmission (98,
222). Children appear to
excrete virus longer than adults
(114,
205,
218,
265), which may
facilitate transmission, although good epidemiologic studies are
lacking in this area.
MSM.
Although early studies did not show a higher
prevalence of HAV infection among MSM
(238), prospective
studies showed a high incidence of infection
(49,
54). In addition,
hepatitis A outbreaks among MSM have been reported in the United States
and Europe (22,
105,
170,
235). HAV isolates with
nucleotide sequence identity have been observed within several
outbreaks among MSM and between outbreaks which occurred in different
geographic locations (22,
105,
170,
235).
Illicit drug use.
Outbreaks of HAV infection among
injection drug users (IDUs) have been reported in North America and
Scandinavia (97,
101,
143). Several routes of
transmission are likely to occur, and these include a combination of
person-to-person and percutaneous spread. Injection of drugs is often a
group activity, and poor personal hygiene among illicit drug users may
be a source of HAV contamination of drugs or drug paraphernalia, as
well as direct person-to-person transmission. Fecal contamination of
drugs by rectal transportation has been reported but is probably a rare
source of infection
(143). Percutaneous
transmission of HAV by needle sharing can also occur
(97).
The
complexity of hepatitis A transmission among injection and noninjection
drug users is illustrated by an outbreak among methamphetamine users
and their contacts in Polk County, Florida, during 2001 and 2002
(252). The significance
of IDUs as the source of the outbreak was generally underestimated,
since case patients were not willing to admit illicit drug use.
However, HAV sequence analysis showed identity or near identity among
cases, including cases with no direct links to each other and whose
disease onsets varied over time. These findings indicated a limited
number of HAV introductions with subsequent person-to-person
transmission among IDU networks and their contacts
(97,
170). Similar studies in
Scandinavia have shown that HAV strains among IDUs involved in
outbreaks were significantly different from those of the infected
non-drug-using population
(97,
143,
232).
International travel.
Persons from regions of low
endemicity traveling to regions of high HAV endemicity are at
substantial risk for acquiring infection
(28,
231). In the United
States, about 10% of hepatitis A patients have reported recent travel
outside the United States as their only possible source of infection
(11,
32,
170). HAV sequences from
case patients with history of travel are closely related to the
sequence patterns of isolates from countries where the travel occurred
(170,
232; CDC, unpublished
data).
Food and water.
HAV transmission has been associated with
contaminated food and water
(63,
112,
175,
263). Outbreaks
associated with consumption of mussels
(70), clams
(18,
100), contaminated
lettuce (204), ice slush
beverages, raw oysters
(67), frozen strawberries
(112,
175), blueberries
(27), raspberries
(195,
197), green onions
(3,
63,
260), and other salad
items (108,
153,
179) have been reported.
The potential for extensive disease transmission is illustrated by the
largest recorded hepatitis A outbreak, which occurred from
consumption of sewage-contaminated clams and caused
illness in 300,000 persons in Shanghai, China
(263), and by outbreaks
that extended to multiple states in the United States through
widespread distribution of HAV-contaminated food
(3,
112,
260). Although food- and
waterborne outbreaks are often newsworthy, they account for only 2% of
the total reported cases in the United States
(28,
32).
Waterborne
transmission of hepatitis A appears to be less common than transmission
by food, and during the past 10 to 15 years contaminated water has not
been identified as a source for any cases of hepatitis A in the United
States (28,
58). Inadequate sewage
management has played an important role in most waterborne outbreaks,
which have generally involved contaminated groundwater obtained from
wells or rivers (16,
68,
164,
181) and drinking water
(125,
190).
Unfortunately,
because of the long incubation period of HAV infection, virus detection
in food is difficult, unless some of the food was kept or contamination
is ongoing. Even more difficult to detect are sporadic cases associated
with contaminated food. Only recently have such transmission chains
been identified, and then only through the use of molecular
epidemiologic investigations
(3,
18,
112,
206,
260).
Methods of Molecular Epidemiology
The determination and analysis of
molecular biomarkers (e.g.,
nucleic acid sequencing or phylogenetic
analysis) have been
used to determine the relatedness of strains from
two or more
infected persons. These analyses have been greatly
facilitated
by (i) the ability to easily recover HAV from the serum,
rather
than stool, of infected persons and (ii) molecular methods
(e.g.,
PCR, DNA sequencing, and sequence analysis) which have been
adapted
to achieve the rapid throughput of a large number of specimens.
These
recent advances have resulted in molecular epidemiology becoming
an
essential tool in the investigation of certain types of hepatitis
A
outbreaks and in epidemiologic studies of HAV transmission.
The
key elements of a molecular epidemiologic analysis include
determination of the genotypes and genetic relatedness of HAV isolates
obtained from infected persons and a rigorous epidemiologic
investigation. To facilitate the molecular analyses of HAV, RNA
amplification and nucleic sequencing should be performed on one of the
genome regions for which large amounts of comparative data exist (e.g.,
the VP1-P2B region) (Table
2; Fig.
2).
Distribution of HAV genotypes.
Nucleotide sequence data
indicate that HAV genotypes have unique geographic distributions (Table
3; Fig.
3). Genotype I is most prevalent worldwide, and
subgenotype IA is more common than IB. Because genotype I is so common,
genotyping alone rarely can be used to identify the source of an HAV
outbreak or chain of transmission.
Countries and their commonly
found genotypes are shown in Table
3.
Subgenotypes IA and IB
are most often found in North and South
America, Europe, China, and
Japan (
200). For
subgenotype IIIA,
the prototype strain, PA21
(
20), was originally
isolated from
captured Panamanian owl monkeys and thought to be a
simian virus.
However, once nucleotide sequence analysis was performed
many
years later, the unique nucleotide and amino acid sequence
patterns
which differentiate human from simian HAV (i.e.,
"simian signature")
(
167,
200)
were not found in
this strain. Over the ensuing years, subgenotype
IIIA isolates have
been recovered only from humans in many parts
of the world (Table
3).
Cocirculation of
multiple genotypes or subgenotypes has been reported in some regions of
the world. Cocirculation of subgenotypes IA and IB is reported in South
Africa (242), Brazil
(251), and Israel (CDC,
unpublished data), and subgenotypes IA and IIIA are reported in India
(111) and the Central
Asian Republics of the former Soviet Union (CDC, unpublished data).
Both subgenotypes IA and IB have been isolated from the United States;
however, most IB isolates were found among infected travelers returning
from other countries
(170; CDC, unpublished
data).
Genetic relatedness of HAV.
Hepatitis A virus displays a high
degree of antigenic and genetic conservation
(146,
147,
200,
207) and does not appear
to accumulate the high frequency of genetic changes seen in many RNA
viruses. Although precise data on the genome mutation rate are not
available, it appears to be lower than those of other RNA viruses
(104 to 105 substitution per
base per round of copy)
(75). Even in extended
common-source outbreaks, viruses isolated from the first cases are
genetically the same as those isolated from the last cases
(63,
112,
170,
175). However, enough
genetic heterogeneity exists in several HAV genome regions to
differentiate the relatedness of isolates circulating within and
between communities over time, including within subgenotypes
(50,
51,
52,
161,
170).
Initially, a
168-nucleotide fragment of the VP1/P2A junction was used for genotype
analysis (116,
200). However, this
sized fragment was shown not to sufficiently differentiate genotype or
relatedness among HAV isolates
(52,
206). Currently, the
majority of molecular epidemiologic studies conducted at CDC use a
390-nucleotide-long fragment from the VP1-P2B region which includes 2A,
one of the most variable regions of the genome
(112,
170; CDC, unpublished
data) (Table 2; Fig.
2). In a comparative
analysis of 240 HAV isolates from a number of communities, using the
350-nucleotide fragment of the VP1-P2B region and a 900-nucleotide
fragment from the entire VP1 region, genotype assignment was concordant
in all instances and the longer fragment increased the likelihood of
identifying a difference between two isolates by only 3% (CDC,
unpublished data).
A phylogenetic analysis, restricted to a
315-nucleotide fragment of VP1-P2B, of over 3,000 HAV isolates from the
United States and 12 other countries is shown in Fig.
3. The majority of
isolates (85%) were obtained from investigations conducted by CDC's
Division of Viral Hepatitis; the remaining sequences were obtained from
GenBank (accession numbers
AB020564
to
AB020569,
AF050223
to
AF050238,
AF386846
to
AF386888,
AF396391
to
AF396408,
AJ296172,
AJ299460
to
AJ299467,
AJ505561
to
AJ505625,
AY294047
to
AY294049,
AY322842
to
AY323047,
AY875649
to
AY875672,
and
AY753408
to
AY753530).Most isolates (80%) belong to subgenotype IA, 17% belong to subgenotype
IB, and 3% belong to genotype IIIA. However, these genotype proportions
probably do not represent the true worldwide distribution of HAV
genotypes, since this is essentially a convenience sample which
contains a disproportionate number of isolates from North America.
Within a genotype or subgenotype, there was a clustering of HAV
isolates by location or geographical regions. For example,
isolates from North America, South America, Europe,
and Middle East tended to cluster together. Phylogenetic
analysis also showed distinct clusters of HAV isolates within
subgenotype IA and defined three major
"clusters," i.e., US-IA1,
US-IA2, and US-IA3 (Fig.
3). Nucleic acid sequences
obtained from HAV isolates from the interior of Mexico and the
U.S.-Mexican border were closely related to isolates in
US-IA1, while US-IA2 isolates were predominantly
from IDUs and US-IA3 isolates were from
MSM.
Applications of Molecular Epidemiologic Investigations
The long incubation period of
hepatitis A, the epidemic but
often sporadic nature of disease
transmission, and the often
unapparent links between persons involved
in outbreaks have
made molecular markers important tools for
epidemiologic investigations
of this infection. The use of nucleotide
sequence patterns allows
the investigator to determine whether viruses
from the same
or different locations are related to each other. Case
patients
with identical sequence patterns and similar epidemiologic
characteristics
usually suggest a common-source exposure
(
112,
170). However,
there
have been instances where sequence analysis suggested
that temporally
related common-source outbreaks might have been
related, when in fact
they represented different transmission
incidents. This occurred
because of the somewhat limited variability
of the HAV nucleic acid
sequence and the inability of the relatively
short sequenced fragments
to precisely differentiate the genetic
relatedness of HAV isolates. In
these instances, outbreak strains
had identical or nearly identical
sequences which represented
similar geographical sources of the
infecting virus. However,
the epidemiologic investigation showed that
the outbreaks were
not related
(
3,
63; CDC, unpublished
data).
Molecular epidemiologic investigations have to be planned
and conducted with equal attention being paid to the methodological
requirements of both disciplines: epidemiology and molecular biology.
The use of molecular biomarkers alone will not fix a flawed
epidemiologic investigation, and patterns of transmission suggested by
patterns of HAV genetic relatedness may not be identified if the
epidemiologic information was not collected at the time of the initial
investigation.
Population-based molecular
epidemiologic studies have shown that HAV is often transmitted within
networks of persons with similar risk factors for infection
(97,
143,
170,
232,
252). Certain sequence
patterns appear to cluster among persons with particular risk factors
and may be used as an indicator of the source of infection. For
instance, in the United States, outbreaks among MSM have often shared
one sequence pattern in subgenotype IA, and most cases associated with
injection drug use have shared certain "signature"
patterns (170,
249).
Molecular
epidemiology has become a particularly powerful tool for the
investigation of food-borne outbreaks of disease. The close or
identical genetic relatedness of isolates from cases in different
locales has provided the link to what previously would have been
considered sporadic, yet independent, outbreaks. In addition, the
availability of a large and ever-growing database of HAV sequences has
allowed the identification of the geographic source of virus
contamination (3,
112,
260). Recognition that
geographically separated outbreaks may be linked by a food source and
identification of the potential geographic origin of the contamination
have accelerated the public health response to these
outbreaks.

PREVENTION OF HEPATITIS A
The availability of vaccines to provide long-term immunity
against
HAV infection has the potential to significantly reduce disease
incidence
and possibly eliminate infection transmission
(
13,
28,
107,
159).
A dramatic effect
of widespread childhood hepatitis A vaccination
has been observed in
the United States. Significant disease
reductions have occurred in
vaccinated populations that historically
had the highest disease
incidence, namely, American Indians,
Alaskan Natives, and persons
living in the western United States
(
14,
23,
30,
32,
163,
215,
255).
The
significant reduction in hepatitis A incidence in the United States due
to immunization has also changed the epidemiology of this infection.
Prior to childhood hepatitis A vaccination, the highest disease
incidence occurred among children
(28,
29,
159,
215). Now the highest
incidence of disease is among adults, a substantial proportion of whom
have risk factors for infection, such as IDUs and MSM
(11,
28,
32,
170,
252). In addition,
childhood immunization appears to have blunted or possibly even
eliminated the cyclical nature of hepatitis A in the United States
(13,
29,
163). However, at this
time, hepatitis A immunization appears not to have changed the
epidemiology of sporadic cases of the disease.
What might become
the role of molecular diagnostics in the era of hepatitis A
immunization? One role would be the continued use of molecular
epidemiology to identify chains of transmission, including the extent
of outbreaks among IDUs and MSM. Another would be the expanded use of
molecular epidemiology to investigate small outbreaks or sporadic cases
in different locales and determine if they are related, such as through
the distribution of contaminated food. In addition, most food-borne
outbreaks should be investigated to determine the genetic relatedness
of HAV isolates to improve the identification of the source of
contamination and the extent of the distribution of contaminated food.
The use of molecular epidemiology to investigate hepatitis A outbreaks
has provided a powerful tool which has improved the public health
response to these situations. However, it has also meant that forensic
practices (e.g., a documented chain of specimen custody) must be used
during the investigation, because these data have eventually been
entered into evidence in court cases.
Molecular diagnostics
should become more widely used to assess the effectiveness of hepatitis
A vaccination as disease incidence declines to very low levels. Because
of the high proportion of asymptomatic HAV infections, nucleic acid
amplification techniques will be required to determine the extent to
which unidentified infection occurs. In addition, it will be very
important to characterize the genetic makeup of HAV from immunized
persons who may subsequently become infected. Such investigations would
identify the possible establishment of antibody-resistant mutants,
which may have a selective transmission advantage in immunized
populations with continued exposure to HAV.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The following
people or groups provided specimens or sequences
that have not been
previously published: Daniel Shouval, Nili
Daudi (Liver Unit, Hadassah
University Hospital, Jerusalem,
Israel), Ala Toukan (University of
Jordan, Amman, Jordan), Hend
El Sherbini (Cairo University, Cairo,
Egypt), Michael O. Favorov
(CDC-CAR, Almaty, Kazakhstan), and the
following members of
the Epidemiology Branch, Division of Viral
Hepatitis, CDC: Gregory
L. Armstrong, Anthony Fiore, Ian Williams, and
Beth P. Bell.
We also thank our many other colleagues whose past
efforts have
made this work possible.
We regretfully report that
author Omana V. Nainan passed away on 3 September 2005, and we dedicate
this article to her memory and her exceptional contributions on
molecular epidemiology of viral hepatitis.
The entire study was
funded by the intramural budget of the Division of Viral Hepatitis,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The authors of this
paper do not have any commercial association that might pose a conflict
of interest.
Use of trade names is for identification only and
does not imply endorsement by the Public Health Service or by the U.S.
Department of Health and Human
Services.

FOOTNOTES
* Corresponding
author. Mailing address: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
1600 Clifton Road, N.E., Mailstop A33, Atlanta, GA 30333. Phone: (404)
639-2339. Fax: (404) 639-1563. E-mail:
ovn1{at}cdc.gov.

Deceased. 

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