Hepatitis E seroprevalence in selected individuals in South Africa

✍ Scribed by Prof. W. O. K. Grabow; M. O. Favorov; N. S. Khudyakova; M. B. Taylor; H. A. Fields

• Book ID: 102908629
• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1994
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 506 KB
• Volume: 44
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0146-6615
• DOI: 10.1002/jmv.1890440412

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Antibodies to the hepatitis E virus (HEV) were detected by an enzyme immunoassay using synthetic HEV peptides. Positive anti‐HEV results were confirmed by a neutralization assay and Western blot analysis. Anti‐HEV was detected in 10 of 555 canoeists (1.8%) with regular exposure to sewage‐polluted water and in 6 of 227 (2.6%) medical students with minimal exposure. The overall prevalence of 16 per 782 individuals (2.05%) suggests that HEV may be endemic in South Africa. This is confirmed by indications of infection earlier than the third decade of life, and by individuals with anti‐HEV who had rarely or never been out of the country. The prevalence data suggest that regular exposure to sewage‐polluted water was not a particular risk factor. None of the individuals with anti‐HEV had a history of clinical hepatitis E, suggesting sporadic low level subclinical cases of infection. This is in agreement with the absence of reports on clinical cases or outbreaks of hepatitis E in South Africa. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.