ABSTRACT
Extrahepatic disorders are recorded with hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection. The impact of HEV infection on the male reproductive system is a query. In this study, we retrospectively analyzed semen from infertile men and prospectively examined the semen from acute hepatitis E patients (AHE) for HEV markers. HEV RNA and HEV Ag were not detectable in the semen of infertile men nor the semen of AHE patients. Although HEV markers were detectable in the urine of patients infected with HEV-1, these markers were absent in their semen. There is no significant difference in the level of reproductive hormones between AHE patients and healthy controls. Semen analysis of AHE patients did not show a notable abnormality and there was no significant difference in the semen quality and sperm characteristics between AHE and healthy controls.
Subject(s)
Genitalia, Male/physiology , Hepatitis E virus/immunology , Hepatitis E virus/isolation & purification , Hepatitis E/physiopathology , Hepatitis E/virology , Infertility, Male/virology , Adult , Biomarkers/analysis , Biomarkers/urine , Genitalia, Male/virology , Gonadal Steroid Hormones/blood , Hepatitis Antibodies/blood , Hepatitis Antigens/analysis , Hepatitis Antigens/urine , Hepatitis E virus/genetics , Humans , Immunoglobulin G/blood , Immunoglobulin M/blood , Infertility, Male/physiopathology , Male , Middle Aged , RNA, Viral/analysis , RNA, Viral/urine , Retrospective Studies , Semen/virology , Urine/virology , Young AdultABSTRACT
BACKGROUND & AIMS: Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is known to be excreted in the stool but there has been no report of its presence in urine. This study investigated the presence of HEV RNA and antigen (HEV-Ag) in urine and its possible transmission. METHODS: Serum and urine samples from patients with chronic or acute HEV infection and HEV infected monkeys were tested for viral and biochemical markers. Liver and kidney biopsies from the infected monkeys were analyzed by histopathology and immunohistochemistry. The infectivity of HEV from urine was assessed by inoculation into monkeys. RESULTS: HEV RNA and HEV-Ag were detected persistently in the urine of a patient with chronic HEV infection. Subsequently, HEV RNA was detected in the urine of three of the eight (37.5%) acute patients, all of whom had detectable HEV-Ag in their urine. HEV RNA and HEV-Ag were also detectable in the urine of HEV infected monkeys. The ratio of HEV-Ag to RNA in the urine of the infected monkeys was significantly higher than in their sera and feces. The parameters of routine urinalysis remained within the normal ranges in the hepatitis E patients and infected monkeys, however, pathological changes and HEV-Ag were observed in the kidneys of the infected monkeys. Furthermore, one of two monkeys became infected with HEV after inoculation with urine from another infected monkey. CONCLUSIONS: HEV infection may result in kidney injury and the urine may pose a risk of transmission. HEV-Ag detection in urine may be valuable for diagnosis of ongoing HEV infection.
