Loss of hepatitis A virus antibodies after bone marrow transplantation

• Published in: Bone marrow transplantation (Basingstoke) Vol. 38; no. 1; pp. 37 - 40
• Main Authors: GODOI, E. R, DE SOUZA, V. A. U. F, CAKMAK, S, MACHADO, A. F, VILAS BOAS, L. S, MACHADO, C. M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basingstoke Nature Publishing Group 01-07-2006
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Anesthesia. Intensive care medicine. Transfusions. Cell therapy and gene therapy; Antibodies; Antibody Formation - immunology; Biological and medical sciences; Bone marrow; Bone marrow transplantation; Bone Marrow Transplantation - adverse effects; Bone marrow, stem cells transplantation. Graft versus host reaction; Brazil - epidemiology; Child; Child, Preschool; Deactivation; Developing countries; Dosage and administration; Follow-Up Studies; Graft-versus-host reaction; Hematopoietic stem cells; Hepatitis; Hepatitis A; Hepatitis A - blood; Hepatitis A - epidemiology; Hepatitis A Antibodies - blood; Hepatitis A virus; Human viral diseases; Humans; Infectious diseases; LDCs; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Prevalence; Prevention; Retrospective Studies; Risk Factors; Seroepidemiologic Studies; Serologic Tests; Stem cell transplantation; Stem cells; Survival Analysis; Transfusions. Complications. Transfusion reactions. Cell and gene therapy; Transplantation; Transplants & implants; Vaccination; Vaccines; Viral diseases; Viral hepatitis; Viral vaccines; Viruses; Brazil; Prevalence; Hepatitis A virus; hepatitis A; Picornaviridae; Stem cell; Vaccination; Hematopoietic cell; Homograft; Hepatic disease; Serology; Epidemiology; Prevention; antibody loss; Viral hepatitis A; Bone marrow; Graft; Human; Hematology; Antibody; seroprevalence; Hepatovirus; Infection; Virus; Viral disease; Digestive diseases
• ISSN: 0268-3369; 1476-5365
• DOI: 10.1038/sj.bmt.1705391

Reimmunization guidelines have recommended the inactivated HAV vaccine for hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients living in or traveling to areas where hepatitis A is endemic. As a shift from high to medium hepatitis A endemicity has been observed in several countries in Latin America, we conducted a retrospective study to evaluate the prevalence of hepatitis A pre-bone marrow transplant (BMT) and the loss of specific antibodies in consecutive stored serum samples from 77 BMT recipients followed up from 82 to 1530 days. The prevalence of HAV antibodies was 92.2% before BMT. As vaccine was not available in Brazil when the samples were taken, it was assumed that this prevalence reflects natural infection. Survival analysis showed that the probability of becoming seronegative was 4.5% (+/-2.6%), 7.9% (+/-3.4%), 10.1% (+/-4.0%), 23.4% (+/-9.6%) at 1, 2, 3 and 4 years after transplant, respectively. The loss of HAV antibodies was significantly associated with longer follow-up (P=0.0015), younger age (P=0.049) and acute graft-versus-host disease (P=0.035). As most reimmunization protocols start around day +365, in developing countries with similar HAV endemicity, BMT recipients should have serological screening before HAV vaccination and the inactivated vaccine should be advised to those seronegative.