title: Seroprevalence of antibody to hepatitis E virus among Chinese subjects in Taiwan.
abstract: Recently, with an available serological hepatitis E virus diagnostic kit, the prevalence of IgG antibody to hepatitis E virus among Chinese subjects in Taiwan was evaluated by means of a solid-phase enzyme-linked immunoassay based on two recombinant hepatitis E virus antigens. The overall prevalence of hepatitis E virus antibody was 10.7% among 384 healthy subjects older than 20 yr but only 0.3% among 600 schoolchildren and young adolescents younger than 20 yr (p < 0.0001). Serial serum samples from 32 hepatitis E virus antibody-positive healthy subjects showed 84% of them to have antibodies persisting more than 3 to 8 yr. Among patients with viral hepatitis, IgG hepatitis E virus antibody was detected in 10% of 10 patients with acute hepatitis A, in 9.5% of 63 patients with acute hepatitis B and in 13.9% of 36 patients with acute posttransfusion hepatitis C. Of 77 patients with sporadic non-A, non-B hepatitis, IgG hepatitis E virus antibody was detected in 18.9% of 53 patients positive for antibody to hepatitis C virus and in 45.8% of 24 patients negative for hepatitis C virus antibody (p < 0.03). Most of our hepatitis E virus antibody-positive normal subjects and patients had never been abroad. These findings demonstrate that sporadic or subclinical hepatitis E virus infections also exist among the Chinese subjects in Taiwan. Hepatitis E virus infection may play an important role in patients with hepatitis C virus antibody-negative sporadic non-A, non-B hepatitis. IgG hepatitis E virus antibody in the sera of normal subjects may last for more than 8 yr.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Y J
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: R H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: C Y
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Lo
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Moeckli
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002681:China / Q000208:ethnology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006506:Hepatitis A / Q000150:complications; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000097:blood*; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000150:complications; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications; D016751:Hepatitis E / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D016752:Hepatitis E virus / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic