Hepatitis B and Delta Co-Infection: Prevalence and Serological Characteristics in Mauritania

Background: Hepatitis B is one of the major public health concerns worldwide. In Mauritania, its prevalence in the general population is very high. The hepatitis D virus (HDV) borrows the envelope from the hepatitis B virus (HBV) during its infectious cycle. We thus observe co-infections during which the two viruses are acquired simultaneously and superinfections by HDV in patients who are already chronic carriers of the B virus. Objective: to assess the prevalence of HBV and HDV infection Material and Methods: this is a prospective descriptive study, conducted from January 1 to November 30, 2017 in the two medical analysis laboratories in Nouakchott. Patients were included: all patients of both sexes and of all ages carrying HBsAg presenting to the two medical analysis laboratories during this period. Results: in 1 month, 211 patients with HBsAg were notified out of a total of 1675 patients screened, i.e. a prevalence of 12.59%. HBV/HDV co-infection is 31.30%. The average age was 36 years with extremes [8 and 66]. The male/female sex ratio was 1.45. The mean HBV viral load was 2.68 ± 1.31 log IU/ml [range: 478.63 IU/ml ± 20.41]. The majority (94.9%) of patients were HBeAg negative. Conclusion: HBV/HDV co-infection remains very high in our country. This study indicates that the significant morbidity of the two viruses associated with limited knowledge of the mode of transmission, constitute factors of vulnerability.