Hepatitis E Virus Immunoglobulin G Antibodies in Different Populations in Campinas, Brazil

Abstract

The seroprevalence of anti-hepatitis E virus (HEV) antibodies was investigated by enzyme immunoassay in 205 volunteer blood donors, 214 women who attended a center for anonymous testing for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, and 170 hospital employees in Campinas, a city in southeastern Brazil. The prevalence of anti-HEV antibodies ranged from 2.6% (3 of 117) in health care professionals to 17.7% (38 of 214) in women who considered themselves at risk for HIV. The prevalence of anti-HEV antibodies in health care professionals was not significantly different from that in healthy blood donors (3.0%, 5 of 165) and blood donors with raised alanine aminotransferase levels (7.5%, 3 of 40). The prevalence of anti-HEV antibodies (13.2%, 7 of 53) in cleaning service workers at a University hospital was similar to that among women at risk for HIV infection. These results suggest that HEV is circulating in southeastern Brazil and that low socioeconomic status is an important risk factor for HEV infection in this region.Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is considered the main etiologic agent of enterically transmitted non-A, non-B hepatitis (ET-NANBH) and occurs in epidemics or sporadically. ET-NANBH, once thought to be a disease confined to developing countries, is now recognized to have a wider geographical distribution (12,33). Epidemics have been related to contaminated water supplies, as fecal-oral transmission is the major route of transmission (29). The symptoms of ET-NANBH are similar to those of hepatitis A, although it affects primarily young adult populations already immune to hepatitis A virus (HAV). HEV is well recognized as a cause of fulminant hepatic failure in areas where it is endemic (23), particularly in pregnant women who contract it in the third trimester (10). In developed countries, sporadic cases have been identified among travelers from areas where it is endemic and HEV has been implicated in some community-acquired cases of NANBH in the United States and other western countries (12).Until recently, the diagnosis of ET-NANBH was based on serology after the exclusion of other viral hepatitis. In 1990, the isolation of a partial cDNA clone from HEV (22) led to the identification of type-common immunodominant epitopes and the development of diagnostic serological assays for the detection of antibodies to recombinant HEV antigens (4).The prevalence of HEV infection among blood donors in developed countries ranges from 0.4 to 3.9% (4,14,15). An association between HEV and hepatitis C virus infections has been reported, suggesting similar or overlapping routes of transmission (21). In addition, a higher prevalence of antibodies to HEV has been reported among patients undergoing chronic hemodialysis (9), suggesting that this virus is also spread by the parenteral route. Homosexual men also have a high prevalence of HEV infection (15), and the possibility of sexual transmission cannot be neglected. Few studies have addressed the prevalence of HEV infection in Brazil because diagnostic tests for this illnes...

Molecular characterization of swine hepatitis E virus from Southeastern Brazil

“…In spite of lack of molecular descriptions, serological evidences of infections have been reported for humans (6,8,12,22,29,42) and other animals (46). Since anti-HEV immunoglobulin G (IgG) has been detected in approximately 94% of 20-week old pigs in New Zealand (11) and these animals are thought to be a source for transmission of HEV to humans, in order to detect and characterize an HEV RNA in Brazil, we collected feces of pigs at Figure 1.…”

“…In these countries the prevalence ranged from 3.0% in Southeast Brazil (12) to 10.5% in Mexico (1). Although serological evidences of HEV presence in Brazil have been published (6,8,12,22,29,42), until this report, molecular characterization of HEV isolates circulating in Brazil has not been done.…”

Seroprevalence of Hepatitis E Virus Immunoglobulin G and M Antibodies in Adults: A Hospital-Based Study

“…This form of non-A, non-B hepatitis came to be known as enterically transmitted non-A non-B hepatitis or epidemic non-A non-B hepatitis. [1,2] Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is an RNA virus. [3] Its genome consists of a single-stranded, positive-sense RNA of approximately 7.2 kb size.…”

“…This form of non-A, non-B hepatitis came to be known as enterically transmitted non-A non-B hepatitis or epidemic non-A non-B hepatitis. [1,2] Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is an RNA virus.[3] Its genome consists of a single-stranded, positive-sense RNA of approximately 7.2 kb size.[4] Morphologically, HEV shows resemblance to Norwalk virus but its sequence most closely resembles to that of Rubella virus. The incubation period of HEV ranges from 3 to 9 weeks.…”

Hepatite E

“…Os resultados demostraram 3% de sero-positividade para o primeiro grupo, 17,7 % em mulheres em risco para o HIV, e de 2,6% em funcionários do hospital. Chamou-se a atenção para a elevada prevalência de anti-VHE no grupo de empregados de higienização que alcançou 13,2% 15 .…”