Seroprevalence and risk factors of hepatitis E virus infection among the Korean, Manchu, Mongol, and Han ethnic groups in Eastern and Northeastern China

Abstract

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection is a serious public health concern in developing countries. China is regarded as an HEV-endemic area, but epidemiological data for HEV among different nationalities is limited. This study was conducted to estimate the seroprevalence and risk factors of HEV infection in Koreans (n = 520), Manchus (n = 303), Mongols (n = 217), and Hans (n = 802) in Eastern and Northeastern China between 2013 and 2015. A total of 366 (19.87%) out of 1842 samples were seropositive for IgG or IgM HEV-antibodies detected by enzyme-linked immunoassays. Among these groups, the Mongols had the highest seroprevalence of HEV infection (25.35%, 55/217), followed by the Koreans (23.65%, 123/520), the Manchus (19.80%, 60/303), and the Hans (15.96%, 128/802). Multiple analysis showed that the gender, consumption of raw/undercooked meat, source of drinking water, residence area, and age were significantly associated with HEV infection in four ethnic groups. The present results indicated that HEV infection was prevalent in Mongols, Koreans, Manchus, and Hans in the surveyed regions, which demonstrated the higher risk of transmitting HEV in multiple nationalities in Eastern and Northeastern China.

Seroprevalence of hepatitis E virus in dromedary camels, Bedouins, Muslim Arabs and Jews in Israel, 2009–2017

“…The association of HEV seropositivity with age observed in our study has also been reported by others [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20] and may be explained not only by the cumulative lifetime exposure to HEV, but also by cohort effect, where certain population groups were more likely to be exposed to the virus during their life.…”

“…None of the samples were HEV RNA positive. 15.0% of the samples obtained from non-Bedouin Arabs (95% CI 11.3-19.4%) and 3.1% of the samples obtained from Jews (95% CI 1.1-6.6%) were anti-HEV IgG positive. HEV seropositivity was significantly higher in Bedouins and in non-Bedouin Arabs compared to Jews (P-value < 0.001).…”

“…Human HEV infection, investigated using seroprevalence studies, was found to be more prevalent in older ages [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20], lower socio-economic status [21], poorer residence areas [9,[14][15], among sheltered homeless adults [22] or uneducated people [14], specific nationalities (for example, higher in mixed race donors and ethnic groups within China [12,15], or in immigrants from Afghanistan [14]), drinking water from wells or rivers [15], consumption of meat products [7,15,17,23] especially pork [24,25] and following blood transfusions [1].…”

Seroprevalence of Dromedary Camel HEV in Domestic and Imported Camels from Saudi Arabia

“…Hepatitis E Virus (HEV) is the causative agent of Hepatitis E globally and imposes a major health concern in Africa and Asia particularly in areas with very poor sanitation [1]. The pathogen is transmitted through ingesting contaminated water or food, coming into contact with affected people and blood transfusions [2]. Old age [3,4], low socioeconomical status [2,5], and illiteracy [6] are among the risk factors for HEV infection.…”

“…The pathogen is transmitted through ingesting contaminated water or food, coming into contact with affected people and blood transfusions [2]. Old age [3,4], low socioeconomical status [2,5], and illiteracy [6] are among the risk factors for HEV infection. The disease is asymptomatic from the time of infection, but as it manifests, symptoms appear which might include nausea, abdominal pain, vomiting and jaundice [7].…”