title: Possible aetiological role of hepatitis E virus in acute non-A, non-B, non-C hepatitis in Saudi Arabia.
abstract: During a period of 10 months, 69 Saudi Arabian patients (14 children and 55 adults) were diagnosed as having acute non-A, non-B, non-C (NA, B, C) hepatitis at King Khalid University Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Seven of the paediatric patients had anti-hepatitis E virus (HEV) immunoglobulin (Ig) M and anti-HEV IgG; 26 adults (47.3%) had anti-HEV IgM and 30 (54.5%) had anti-HEV IgG. These results, together with the fact that none of the 40 patients with acute hepatitis A virus infection, none of the 24 with hepatitis B virus, and none of the 30 with acute hepatitis C virus, had anti-HEV IgM, indicates that HEV is an important aetiological agent for acute NA, B, C hepatitis in Saudi Arabia, and that there are still other unidentified agent(s) responsible for acute hepatitis in Saudi Arabia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arif
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Qattan
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ramia
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D016751:Hepatitis E / Q000175:diagnosis*; D016752:Hepatitis E virus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012529:Saudi Arabia
chemical_list: D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M