You are here:
A Salivary IgG Antibody Screening for Hepatitis A
Citation:
Ramudit, M., S. Augustine, S. Griffin, AND T. Eason. A Salivary IgG Antibody Screening for Hepatitis A. American College of Osteopathic Internist 2023 Convention, Tampa, FL, October 11 - 15, 2023.
Impact/Purpose:
This abstract is being submitted to the 2023 American College of Osteopathic Internist Conference for consideration. The work is on a salivary IgG antibody screening for Hepatitis A and helps promote the development and application of our salivary antibody multiplex immunoassay for assessing biomarkers of exposure to environmental pathogens. The assay has been used in multiple population surveillance studies and facilitates the development of risk assessments for potential future outbreaks useful for policymakers, health-practitioners, and risk-assessors in mitigating the health and financial burden posed by exposure to existing and emerging pathogens.
Description:
Background Hepatitis A virus (HAV) is a non-envelope, RNA virus that is transmitted through the fecal-oral route by direct contact or ingestion of contaminated food or water. HAV infections typically are diagnosed with the use of invasive and expensive serological assays. In this study, we highlight a non-invasive, rapid, cost-effective tool for examining pathogenic exposure, prevalence and incident infections. The tool can provide critical information for medical practitioners and policy makers in improving community health. Methods: Boquerón Beach in Puerto Rico was selected as the study location because it had the potential for fecal contamination from a discharging wastewater treatment plant and two smaller package plants. Water sampling and testing, epidemiological surveys, and collection of saliva samples were performed. After Institutional Review Board approval, informed consent and initial saliva samples (S1) were obtained from participants. Saliva samples were then self-collected on days 10 and 45 after the initial sample (S2 and S3 respectively). Samples were shipped on ice, stored at -80?C until processed, then evaluated using the protocol outlined in the Application of a Microsphere-Based Salivary Antibody Multiplex Immunoassay. HAV antigen coupling was confirmed by exposing anti-HAV polyclonal antibodies to the antigen-coupled beads with uncoupled beads serving as assay control. Saliva samples were exposed to the antigen-coupled beads and immunopositivity was measured on a Luminex 200™ and reported in Median Fluorescence Intensity (MFI) units. Results: A total of 5533 serially collected saliva samples were obtained. Results indicated that beachgoers had a 16.17% immunoprevalence rate (S1). Immunopositivity rates for this group remained relatively consistent with anti-HAV antibodies detected in approximately 16% of samples. 1.43% of participants were found to have immunoconverted. Among those who immunoconverted, 10% reported chronic gastrointestinal symptoms although none experienced diarrhea. Discussion: This rapid salivary antibody immunoassay is an inexpensive and non-invasive method of simultaneously assessing the prevalence and incidents of infection from multiple pathogenic organisms. The assay requires very small sample volumes which can be self-collected making it ideal for population surveillance surveys. Previous work has demonstrated the utility of the approach in monitoring epidemiological trends in public health including the detection of asymptomatic infections, as the multiplex immunoassay facilitates understanding of exposure susceptibility and risk assessments for potential future outbreaks. Such information may be used by policy makers, health practitioners, and risk assessors in mitigating the heath and financial burden posed by exposure to existing and emerging pathogens. Disclaimer: The views expressed in this manuscript are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views or the policies of the U.S. government.
