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Vaccines
Special Issues
New Challenges for Natural and Vaccine-Induced Immunity against HBV Infection
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New Challenges for Natural and Vaccine-Induced Immunity against HBV Infection

A special issue of Vaccines (ISSN 2076-393X). This special issue belongs to the section "Hepatitis Virus Vaccines".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2022) | Viewed by 5480

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Romina Salpini

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Experimental Medicine, Tor Vergata University, 00133 Rome, Italy
Interests: hepatitis B virus; vaccine-escape mutants; occult hepatitis B; HCC; HIV coinfection; HDV coinfection; ultrasensitive assays; viral variability
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Valentina Svicher

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00133 Rome, Italy
Interests: SARS-CoV-2; drug resistance; immune escape; HBV chronic infection; HBV reactivation; hepatocellular carcinoma; HIV; HDV
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Olympia E Anastasiou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Virology, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
Interests: hepatitis B virus; HDV coinfection; viral reactivation; viral variability; acute liver failure

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The availability of an effective vaccine against hepatitis B infection has produced a strong decline in the number of new cases of HBV-related hepatitis worldwide. However, the coverage of anti-HBV vaccination remains sub-optimal in many geographical areas, with the most relevant drop occurring in low-income countries. Accordingly, HBV infection remains an important public health problem, with over 250 million chronically infected patients worldwide.

It is worth noting that, despite the overall high efficacy of anti-HBV vaccination, a non-negligible (but not well-defined) ratio of persons are “non-responders” to the vaccine, failing to achieve a protective concentration of antibodies able to prevent HBV infection. This aspect could be particularly critical in special populations with impaired immune responses, such as patients with hematological malignancies or HIV infection. Overall, the rate of non-responders, the host factors predisposing to a reduced or lack of response to anti-HBV vaccination, and the long-term kinetics of anti-HBs antibodies remain poorly investigated.

Another potential pitfall of HBV vaccination, and more generally of immune control of HBV, is related to the circulation of viral strains, carrying mutations in the surface antigen (HBsAg), that have been demonstrated to alter the affinity of antibodies, both naturally produced by the immune system and induced by vaccination. The circulation of these variants deserves careful monitoring since they can be transmitted to vaccinated people or favor HBV reactivation events.

For this Special Issue, we welcome all original research papers, reviews, clinical cases, and methodological novelties able to shed new light on the immune response to HBV infection, including that induced by anti-HBV vaccination, and on the role of HBV genetic variability in modifying the ability of the immune system and vaccination to prevent/control HBV infection.

Dr. Romina Salpini
Assoc. Prof. Valentina Svicher
Dr. Olympia E Anastasiou
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Vaccines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • anti-HBV vaccine
  • HBV variability
  • vaccine escape
  • anti-HBV immune response
  • immune-suppression-driven HBV reactivation
  • anti-HBs titer
  • anti-HBc titer
  • HBsAg antigenicity
  • anti-HBV immunomodulators
  • non-responders

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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11 pages, 1688 KiB  
Article
The Course of Anti-HBc Antibodies over Time in Immunocompromised Hosts
by Caroline Holtkamp, Melanie Fiedler, Ulf Dittmer and Olympia E. Anastasiou
Vaccines 2022, 10(2), 137; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines10020137 - 18 Jan 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2508
Abstract
Hepatitis B virus infection results in the appearance of anti-HBc antibodies that normally persist lifelong. We analyzed the course of anti-HBc antibodies overtime, focusing on patients with a permanent loss or fluctuating anti-HBc antibodies. From 120,531 patients tested for anti-HBc antibodies (Architect, Abbott) [...] Read more.
Hepatitis B virus infection results in the appearance of anti-HBc antibodies that normally persist lifelong. We analyzed the course of anti-HBc antibodies overtime, focusing on patients with a permanent loss or fluctuating anti-HBc antibodies. From 120,531 patients tested for anti-HBc antibodies (Architect, Abbott) from January 2006 to December 2020, ≥4 serial values were available in 8098 and permanent or intermittent anti-HBc loss was observed in 139 patients. It was relatively frequent in baseline anti-HBc positive, immunocompromised patients with available serial measurements of anti-HBc overtime (13% of hematologic/oncologic patients, 10% of solid organ transplant recipients, and 6% of HIV patients compared to 3% in patients with other diseases). In the same period, 12,607 samples were tested for HBsAg, anti-HBc antibodies, and HBV DNA—in nine cases we detected HBV DNA with undetectable anti-HBc and HBsAg. In four out of nine cases contamination of the PCR during processing was the likeliest cause, in another four, no further data were available, while in one the HBV DNA was later followed by a temporary anti-HBc seroconversion. In conclusion, permanent or intermittent anti-HBc loss is more common in immunocompromised hosts than in patients with other underlying diseases. Furthermore, anti-HBc and HBsAg assays can be safely used to exclude an active HBV infection, even in immunocompromised hosts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Challenges for Natural and Vaccine-Induced Immunity against HBV Infection)
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Review

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9 pages, 583 KiB  
Review
Gender Disparity in Host Responses to Hepatitis B-Related Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Case Series
by Rukaiya Bashir Hamidu, Divya M. Chalikonda and Hie-Won Hann
Vaccines 2021, 9(8), 838; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines9080838 - 30 Jul 2021
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2235
Abstract
Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is one of the most common causes of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a malignant tumor with high mortality worldwide. One remarkable clinical feature of HBV-related HCC is that the risk of development is higher in males and postmenopausal [...] Read more.
Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is one of the most common causes of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a malignant tumor with high mortality worldwide. One remarkable clinical feature of HBV-related HCC is that the risk of development is higher in males and postmenopausal females compared to other females. Increasing evidence also indicates that the prognosis of HBV-associated HCC may involve gender disparity, with females having more favorable outcomes. The proposed mechanism of this gender disparity is thought to be complex and multifactorial. Attributions have been made to gender differences in behavioral risk factors, host stress, immune response, psychology, metabolic risk factors, tumor biology, and hormonal factors. Gender disparities in hormonal factors and stress with consequent incited inflammation and hepatocarcinogenesis in HBV-related HCC is a particularly burgeoning area of investigation. Clarifying these mechanisms could provide insight into HBV-related HCC pathogenesis, and potentially provide a target for prevention and treatment of this disease. Reported herein is a case series involving two families affected by vertically transmitted chronic hepatitis B, longitudinally observed over multiple decades, with family members demonstrating discordant outcomes related to HCC, with worse outcomes among affected males. As a supplement to this case, we review the currently available literature on gender differences in outcomes from HBV-related HCC. In reporting this case series, we aim to add our important observation to the current literature and highlight the need for further research in the mechanisms involved in gender disparity in the prognosis of HBV-related HCC. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Challenges for Natural and Vaccine-Induced Immunity against HBV Infection)
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