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Volume 30, Number 5—May 2024
Research

Kinetics of Hepatitis E Virus Infections in Asymptomatic Persons

Ricarda PlümersComments to Author , Jens Dreier, Cornelius Knabbe, Eike Steinmann, Daniel Todt, and Tanja Vollmer
Author affiliations: Herz- und Diabeteszentrum Nordrhein-Westfalen, Bad Oeynhausen, Germany (R. Plümers, J. Dreier, C. Knabbe, T. Vollmer); German Centre for Infection Research, Bochum (E. Steinmann); Ruhr University Bochum, Germany (E. Steinmann, D. Todt); European Virus Bioinformatics Center, Jena, Germany (D. Todt)

Main Article

Figure 2

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) viral load in asymptomatic persons determined from retrospectively tested blood samples, Germany. A) Maximum viral load for each person (n = 32). B) Viral loads during the infection have been overlayed for all persons depending on the timepoint when the maximum viral load (set as day 0) was reached. C) Spearman coefficient calculated for the correlation of the maximum viral load and the duration of HEV RNA detection in the blood for persons with confirmed end of infection by HEV RNA–negative donation (n = 28). D) Doubling time was determined in the rising phase of the viral load, whereas the half-life was determined in the declining phase for the whole or a trimmed course. Data points indicate each person; error bars indicate medians with interquartile ranges; circles indicate donors who donated HEV-negative blood before first detection of HEV RNA (n = 14); and triangles indicate persons who did not donate HEV-negative blood before first detection of HEV RNA (n = 18). Data points calculated from data extracted from Vollmer et al. are displayed as open circles (n = 7) (21). HEV, hepatitis E virus.

Figure 2. Hepatitis E virus (HEV) viral load in asymptomatic persons determined from retrospectively tested blood samples, Germany. A) Maximum viral load for each person (n = 32). B) Viral loads during the infection have been overlayed for all persons depending on the timepoint when the maximum viral load (set as day 0) was reached. C) Spearman coefficient calculated for the correlation of the maximum viral load and the duration of HEV RNA detection in the blood for persons with confirmed end of infection by HEV RNA–negative donation (n = 28). D) Doubling time was determined in the rising phase of the viral load, whereas the half-life was determined in the declining phase for the whole or a trimmed course. Data points indicate each person; error bars indicate medians with interquartile ranges; circles indicate donors who donated HEV-negative blood before first detection of HEV RNA (n = 14); and triangles indicate persons who did not donate HEV-negative blood before first detection of HEV RNA (n = 18). Data points calculated from data extracted from Vollmer et al. are displayed as open circles (n = 7) (21). HEV, hepatitis E virus.

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