Hepatitis E virus infection prevalence among selected populations in Iowa

• Published in: Journal of clinical virology Vol. 14; no. 1; pp. 51 - 55
• Main Authors: Karetnyi, Yuory V., Gilchrist, Mary J.R., Naides, Stanley J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01.09.1999; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Agricultural Workers' Diseases - epidemiology; Agricultural Workers' Diseases - immunology; Agricultural Workers' Diseases - virology; Antibodies, Viral - blood; Biological and medical sciences; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Epidemiology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Hepatitis; Hepatitis E - epidemiology; Hepatitis E - immunology; Hepatitis E - virology; Hepatitis E virus; HEV; Human viral diseases; Humans; Immunoglobulin G - blood; Immunoglobulin M - blood; Infectious diseases; Iowa - epidemiology; Medical sciences; Microbiology; Occupational Exposure - adverse effects; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; Seroepidemiologic Studies; Serologic Tests; Swine; Viral diseases; Viral hepatitis; Virology; Zoonosis; Iowa; United States; North America; America; HEV; Hepatitis; Zoonosis; Swine; Hepatitis E virus; Human; Prevalence; Hepatic disease; Reservoir; Serology; Epidemiology; Pig; Infection; Virus; Calicivirus; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Caliciviridae; Viral disease; Digestive diseases; Artiodactyla; Diagnosis; Detection; Viral hepatitis E; Ungulata; Humoral immunity
• ISSN: 1386-6532; 1873-5967
• DOI: 10.1016/S1386-6532(99)00037-2

Background: HEV causes an enteric infectious disease endemic in developing areas with hot climate. A case of endogenous HEV infection has been reported in the US. Recently, HEV-like virus was isolated from swine in Iowa. Swine production is a major industry in Iowa with the potential for human exposure to swine in and around industrial and family farm operations. Objective: The study objective was to determine whether individuals in Iowa are exposed to HEV. Study design: Anti-HEV antibody prevalence in four selected Iowa populations was determined. Sera were collected from 204 patients with non-A, non-B, non-C hepatitis (non-A–C); 87 staff members of the Department of Natural Resources (DRN); 332 volunteer blood donors in 1989; and 111 volunteer blood donors in 1998. All sera were tested for anti-human HEV IgM and IgG by ELISA with confirmation of positivity by a peptide neutralization test. Results: Both the patients with non-A, non-B, non-C hepatitis (4.9%) and the healthy field workers from the Iowa DNR (5.7%) showed significantly higher prevalence of anti-HEV IgG antibodies compared to normal blood donor sera collected in 1998 ( P<0.05). Conclusions: Human HEV or a HEV-like agent circulates in the Iowa geographical area. At-risk human populations with occupational exposure to wild animals and environmental sources of domestic animal wastes or with unexplained hepatitis have increased seroprevalence of HEV antibodies.