Author(s)

Elhadi Abdalla Ahmed^1*, Abdelrahman Eldaw Mohammed¹, Bakri Yousif Mohamed Nour², Albadawi Abdelbagi Talha^2,3, Zienab Hamid¹, Mubarak Ahmed Elshafia⁴, Mubarak Ahmed Elshafia⁴, Mohamed Elamin Salih⁵

¹Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medical Laboratory Sciences, University of Gezira, Wad Medani, Sudan.
²Department of Medical Parasitology, Faculty of Medical Laboratory Sciences, University of Gezira, Wad Medani, Sudan.
³Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Al Jouf University, Sakakah, KSA.
⁴Department of Haematology and Immunohaematology, Faculty of Medical Laboratory Sciences, University of Gezira, Wad Medani, Sudan.
⁵Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine-AlQunfudtha, Umm Al-Qura University, Mecca, KSA.

Introduction: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major cause of death in sub-Saharan Africa. The effects of the CKD on the host and the continuous therapeutic measures increase the hypothesis of blood-borne diseases transmission. Objective: This study aimed to find the frequency of occult hepatitis B virus (OBI) in patients of chronic renal failure (CRF) and to study the possibilities of infection acquisition. Methods: During 2017 and 2019, two hundred CRF patients under regular haemodialysis and attending Gezira Hospital for Renal Diseases and Surgery were recruited. Plasma specimens were collected and used for detection of hepatitis B surface antigens (HbsAg), total hepatitis B core antibodies (anti-HBc) and hepatitis B virus DNA isolation. Nested PCR reaction was followed to identify HBV. Socio-clinical data for each participant was obtained. Results: Male patients represented 64% (128/200), most frequent age group was from 41 to 60 years with percentage of 56.5% (113/200), 86% (172/200) of CRF patients were received blood while 42% (84/200) get HBV vaccination. Hepatitis B core antibodies were found in 54% (108/200) of studied cases, and 22% (42/188) of tested DNA were positively amplified for target gene. Detection of Hepatitis B core antibodies was significantly associated with marital status while absence of vaccination significantly associated with the detection of both hepatitis B core antibodies and HBV DNA. Conclusion: This study found high frequency of OBI in CRF patients, to reduce the transmission of the disease, possible hypotheses should be studied, including blood transfusion, haemodialysis process and HBV vaccination status.

Chronic Renal Failure, OBI, Nested PCR, Sudan

Ahmed, E. , Mohammed, A. , Mohamed Nour, B. , Talha, A. , Hamid, Z. , Elshafia, M. , Elshafia, M. and Salih, M. (2022) The Possibilities of Chronic Renal Failure Patients Contracting Occult Hepatitis B Virus Infection, Sudan. Advances in Microbiology, 12, 91-102. doi: 10.4236/aim.2022.123008.