High prevalence of anti-HEV antibodies among patients with immunosuppression and hepatic disorders in eastern Poland

Abstract

Introduction: The incidence of hepatitis E virus (HEV) infections in Poland is largely unknown. This study aimed to describe seroprevalence of markers of HEV infection among patients with immunodeficiency of diverse etiology and patients with advanced chronic liver diseases. Material and methods: Four hundred fifty patients were enrolled; among them, 180 persons were solid organ transplant recipients, 90 patients were HIV-infected and 180 persons had confirmed liver cirrhosis of different etiology. Serum anti-HEV-IgG, IgM antibodies and HEV-antigen were detected by ELISA (Wantai, China). Results: In the group of transplant recipients, serum anti-HEV-IgG antibodies were detected in 40.6%, IgM in 1.1% and HEV-Ag in 2.8% of subjects. In the HIV-infected population 37.7% had anti-HEV-IgG, 1.1% had anti-HEV-IgM and none had HEV-Ag. Among patients with advanced chronic liver diseases the highest prevalence of anti-HEV-IgG was recorded in alcohol-related liver cirrhosis (52.1%) (p = 0.049). In the population of all liver cirrhotics anti-HEV-IgG seroprevalence was 48.3%, anti-HEV-IgM seroprevalence was 5.0% and HEV-Ag seroprevalence was 1.7%. Older age and male gender were significant risk factors associated with increased anti-HEV-IgG prevalence, p = 0.0004 and p = 0.02, respectively. Conclusions: In this large cohort a high seroprevalence of anti-HEV-IgG was detected in comparison to other European countries, with the highest rates in patients with alcoholic liver disease and in transplant recipients.

Severe hepatitis E virus genotype 3b in a patient with alcohol‑associated liver disease: A case report

“…Thus, HEV genotype 3 or HEV genotype 4 is also a key acute insult in ACLF. Of interest, among patients with alcohol-associated liver cirrhosis, a higher prevalence of anti-HEV IgG has been observed in Poland ( 38 ) and Argentina ( 39 ).…”

Serological Status of Hunters and Their Family Members In Relation to Risk of Hev Infections

“…Studies conducted among hunters in different regions of Europe have shown significant differences in the results. The prevalence of anti-HEV IgG antibodies in hunters has been estimated at 25% in central Italy [20], 21% in central Germany [21], 80% in the Midi-Pyrénées region in south-western France (20 of 25 hunters) [19], 29%-61% in Poland [22], 1%-24% in Croatia, up to 21% in Bulgaria, 6%-17% in Romania, 15% in Serbia, up to 10% in Greece, and 2%-10% in Albania [23]. In our research conducted in the Lublin Province (eastern Poland), anti-HEV IgG antibodies were found in 10.5% of the individuals from the control group (i.e.…”

Hepatitis E - epidemiology and clinical course in the largest cohort in the Czech Republic

“…The hepatitis E virus (HEV) antibody seroprevalence in Europe varies greatly, with hot spots of HEV infection (southwest France, the Netherlands, Scotland, western Germany, Czech Republic, central Italy and several regions of Poland) [1][2][3]. Food-borne transmission of HEV appears to be a major route of infection in Europe and pigs and wild boars are considered the main animal reservoirs of the virus.…”