The role of hepatitis E virus in acute sporadic non-A, non-B hepatitis.
Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is the cause of enterically transmitted non-A, non-B (NANB) hepatitis. Water-borne epidemics have been reported in many developing countries primarily affecting young and middle-aged adults. To determine the role of HEV in acute sporadic NANB hepatitis, we have studied the profiles of anti-HEV IgG in the sera of patients previously diagnosed for NANB hepatitis. We tested the sera of 53 patients with acute NANB hepatitis and 100 healthy people as a control group for anti-HEV IgG. Thirty-nine of the 53 patients (73.3%) and none of the control group were positive for HEV infection, according to results shown by ELISA. This result suggests that HEV is a common cause of acute sporadic NANB hepatitis in Turkey. Further studies are needed in the other regions to determine the true prevalence of HEV infection in Turkey.
Köksal
I
I
Dept. of Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, Karadeniz Technical University, Trabzon, Turkey.
Aydin
K
K
Kardes
B
B
Turgut
H
H
Murt
F
F
D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000097:blood*; D016751:Hepatitis E / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology*; D016752:Hepatitis E virus / Q000276:immunology* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D011159:Population Surveillance; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology
D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies; D007074:Immunoglobulin G