title: Hepatitis E seroprevalence in selected individuals in South Africa.
abstract: Antibodies to the hepatitis E virus (HEV) were detected by an enzyme immunoassay using synthetic HEV peptides. Positive anti-HEV results were confirmed by a neutralization assay and Western blot analysis. Anti-HEV was detected in 10 of 555 canoeists (1.8%) with regular exposure to sewage-polluted water and in 6 of 227 (2.6%) medical students with minimal exposure. The overall prevalence of 16 per 782 individuals (2.05%) suggests that HEV may be endemic in South Africa. This is confirmed by indications of infection earlier than the third decade of life, and by individuals with anti-HEV who had rarely or never been out of the country. The prevalence data suggest that regular exposure to sewage-polluted water was not a particular risk factor. None of the individuals with anti-HEV had a history of clinical hepatitis E, suggesting sporadic low level subclinical cases of infection. This is in agreement with the absence of reports on clinical cases or outbreaks of hepatitis E in South Africa.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Virology, University of Pretoria, South Africa.
authors.forename: W O
authors.initials: WO
authors.lastname: Grabow
authors.forename: M O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Favorov
authors.forename: N S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Khudyakova
authors.forename: M B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: H A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Fields
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D016752:Hepatitis E virus / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000032:analysis; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000032:analysis; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D013019:South Africa / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M