title: Seroepidemiology of water-borne hepatitis in India and evidence for a third enterically-transmitted hepatitis agent.
abstract: Many epidemics of water-borne hepatitis have occurred throughout India. These were thought to be epidemics of hepatitis A until 1980, when evidence for an enterically transmitted non-A, non-B hepatitis was first reported. Subsequently, hepatitis E virus was discovered and most recent epidemics of enterically transmitted non-A, non-B hepatitis have been attributed to hepatitis E virus infection. However, only a limited number of cases have been confirmed by immuno electron microscopy, polymerase chain reaction, or seroconversion. In the present study we have performed a retrospective seroepidemiologic study of 17 epidemics of water-borne hepatitis in India. We have confirmed that 16 of the 17 epidemics were caused at least in part by serologically closely related hepatitis E viruses. However, one epidemic, in the Andaman Islands, and possibly a significant minority of cases in other epidemics, appears to have been caused by a previously unrecognized hepatitis agent.
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Virology, Indian Council of Medical Research, Pune.
authors.forename: V A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Arankalle
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Chadha
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Tsarev
authors.forename: S U
authors.initials: SU
authors.lastname: Emerson
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Risbud
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Banerjee
authors.forename: R H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Purcell
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000032:analysis; D016751:Hepatitis E / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D016752:Hepatitis E virus / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies