Hepatitis Vaccines: Immunization, Effectiveness and Future Challenges

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2024) | Viewed by 5770

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Guest Editor
Toronto Centre for Liver Disease, Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
Interests: viral hepatitis; host–virus interactions; innate immunity; cell signaling
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Viral hepatitis, or inflammation of the liver, is caused by a viral infection and remains a major human health problem worldwide. Many different viruses cause viral hepatitis, which includes, in alphabetical order, hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E. The hepatitis A and E viruses typically cause acute infections, whereas hepatitis B, C, and D viruses cause both acute and chronic infections. While acute hepatitis is resolved within 3–6 months, chronic infections can last longer than 6 months and in severe cases can subsequently lead to life-threatening liver complications. Out of the approximately 1.4 million deaths each year resulting from this infection, HBV and HCV are responsible for about 90% of these fatalities, whilst the remaining 10% of fatalities are caused by other hepatitis viruses. WHO's global hepatitis strategy aims to reduce new hepatitis infections by 90% and deaths by 65% between 2016 and 2030. To reduce the morbidity and mortality, protective vaccination for these hepatitis viruses remains the main goal of public health policy and is a key component of the global viral hepatitis elimination plan.

With this aim, in this Special Issue, we will summarize the current knowledge and aim to answer some of the many questions on viral hepatitis, their prevention through vaccination, vaccine effectiveness, and future challenges in this field. We invite the submission of original research and review articles that cover any aspect of viral hepatitis, prevention through vaccines, prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines, vaccine development and technology, vaccine immunity, etc.

Dr. Muhammad Atif Zahoor
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • viral hepatitis, viral evolution, and genetic diversity
  • prevention of viral hepatitis through effective vaccines
  • prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines
  • vaccine technology and vaccination strategies
  • vaccine development and efficacy evaluation
  • vaccine immunity and re-infections, escape variants
  • vaccine failures and challenges
  • viral immunology, B-cell and T-cell immune responses, T- and B-cell exhaustions

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 544 KiB  
Article
Anti-HBs Positivity Related to Past HBV Infection and Vaccination in Older Adults in Polish Population—Cohort-Based Study
by Katarzyna Zięba, Kacper Jagiełło, Joanna Musialik, Łukasz Wierucki, Adam Hajduk, Małgorzata Mossakowska and Jerzy Chudek
Vaccines 2025, 13(1), 18; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines13010018 - 29 Dec 2024
Viewed by 1087
Abstract
Background: In Poland, a national hepatitis B (HBV) immunization program was introduced for neonates in 1996, and between 2000 and 2011, those born from 1986 to 1995 were vaccinated. Little is known about vaccination rates among adults born before 1986. This study aimed [...] Read more.
Background: In Poland, a national hepatitis B (HBV) immunization program was introduced for neonates in 1996, and between 2000 and 2011, those born from 1986 to 1995 were vaccinated. Little is known about vaccination rates among adults born before 1986. This study aimed to determine the frequency of anti-HBs seropositivity rates related to vaccination and past HBV infection in older Poles. Methods: The HBV serological status was analyzed in 5781 (96.6%) of the PolSenior2 population-based cohort (60+) by assessing serum seropositivity for HBs antigen, anti-HBs, and anti-HBc antibodies. The survey was performed in 2018–2019 and included medical and socio-economic questionnaires, anthropometric measurements, and comprehensive geriatric assessment. Results: Serological status implying past hepatitis B and serological profile consistent with anti-HBV vaccination corresponded to 15.2% (95% CI: 13.4–17.0) and 25.2% (95% CI: 23.4–27.0) prevalences, respectively. Female gender, living in a town or city, having better education, and suffering from coronary artery disease, or depression independently increased the rate of past hepatitis B. On the other hand, being ‘white collar’ and self-reliant, having the ability to use the Internet, and past surgical procedures in the last 5-year period were factors associated with a higher vaccination rate. Conclusions: More than 15% of older adults in Poland present serological profiles suggesting past hepatitis B, and one-fourth anti-HBV vaccination. Being functionally independent, ‘white collar’, using the Internet, and having past surgical procedures are factors associated with a higher chance of being vaccinated. Nevertheless, a large group of older adults should be prophylactically vaccinated due to increased exposure to medical procedures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hepatitis Vaccines: Immunization, Effectiveness and Future Challenges)
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Review

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35 pages, 1610 KiB  
Review
Exploring T-Cell Immunity to Hepatitis C Virus: Insights from Different Vaccine and Antigen Presentation Strategies
by Gabriel L. Costa and Giuseppe A. Sautto
Vaccines 2024, 12(8), 890; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines12080890 - 6 Aug 2024
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2416
Abstract
The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is responsible for approximately 50 million infections worldwide. Effective drug treatments while available face access barriers, and vaccine development is hampered by viral hypervariability and immune evasion mechanisms. The CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell responses targeting HCV non-structural (NS) [...] Read more.
The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is responsible for approximately 50 million infections worldwide. Effective drug treatments while available face access barriers, and vaccine development is hampered by viral hypervariability and immune evasion mechanisms. The CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell responses targeting HCV non-structural (NS) proteins have shown a role in the viral clearance. In this paper, we reviewed the studies exploring the relationship between HCV structural and NS proteins and their effects in contributing to the elicitation of an effective T-cell immune response. The use of different vaccine platforms, such as viral vectors and virus-like particles, underscores their versability and efficacy for vaccine development. Diverse HCV antigens demonstrated immunogenicity, eliciting a robust immune response, positioning them as promising vaccine candidates for protein/peptide-, DNA-, or RNA-based vaccines. Moreover, adjuvant selection plays a pivotal role in modulating the immune response. This review emphasizes the importance of HCV proteins and vaccination strategies in vaccine development. In particular, the NS proteins are the main focus, given their pivotal role in T-cell-mediated immunity and their sequence conservation, making them valuable vaccine targets. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hepatitis Vaccines: Immunization, Effectiveness and Future Challenges)
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Other

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16 pages, 1173 KiB  
Systematic Review
The Effectiveness and Sero-Immunity of Hepatitis B Vaccination in People Who Use Drugs: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
by Valeria Reynolds-Cortez, Juan-José Criado-Álvarez, Vicente Martinez-Vizcaino, Carlos Pascual-Morena, Ana Salinas-Vilca and Irene Sequí-Domínguez
Vaccines 2024, 12(9), 1026; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines12091026 - 8 Sep 2024
Viewed by 1487
Abstract
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination has been available for over four decades. However, a synthesis of the evidence regarding the effectiveness of this strategy on preventing hepatitis B infection in people who use drugs (PWUD) is lacking. A systematic search of the MEDLINE [...] Read more.
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination has been available for over four decades. However, a synthesis of the evidence regarding the effectiveness of this strategy on preventing hepatitis B infection in people who use drugs (PWUD) is lacking. A systematic search of the MEDLINE (via PubMed), SCOPUS, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases was conducted up to June 2024. Eight studies reported on the effectiveness of HBV vaccination, defined as a positive result for HBsAg or anti-Hbc in vaccinated versus non-vaccinated PWUD, with a pooled effect size of 52% (95% CI: 28.2–67.9) for HBsAg and 31.89% (95% CI: 14.8–45.5) for anti-Hbc. For sero-immunity, defined as the proportion of vaccinated PWUD with levels of anti-HBs ≥ 10 mIU/mL, we found that 66.2% (95% CI: 0.61–0.71; I2 = 94%) had protective levels of anti-HBs. The results of this meta-analysis indicate that the incidence of HBV infection is lower in vaccinated PWUD than in those who did not receive the vaccine. However, the effectiveness is lower than that observed in the general population. This highlights the need for a thorough review of the factors influencing the prevention of HBV infection in PWUD. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hepatitis Vaccines: Immunization, Effectiveness and Future Challenges)
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