Seroepidemiology of hepatitis E virus in patients with non-A, non-B, non-C hepatitis in Hungary.
Many cases of acute hepatitis remain undiagnosed and the hepatitis E virus (HEV) is emerging in industrialized countries. The aim of this study was to assess the role HEV as causative agent in acute non-A, non-B, and non-C hepatitis patients in Hungary. 10.5% of the 264 acute non-A, non-B, and non-C hepatitis patients tested had anti-HEV IgG and 1.9% had anti-HEV IgM as tested by ELISA. After confirmation by Western blot 6.1% of the acute non-A, non-B, and non-C hepatitis patients had anti-HEV IgG antibodies only and 1.1% of the patients had both IgG and IgM. All 19 patients that were positive for anti-HEV IgG and/or IgM tested negative for HEV RNA by PCR. Only a small proportion of the acute hepatitis cases in the southwest of Hungary are assumed to be attributed to HEV infection, however, hepatitis E should be considered along with hepatitis A, B, and C in the diagnosis of acute hepatitis.
Haagsman
Annika
A
Diagnostic Laboratory for Infectious Diseases and Perinatal Screening, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, The Netherlands.
Reuter
Gábor
G
Duizer
Erwin
E
Nagy
Gyuláné
G
Herremans
Tineke
T
Koopmans
Marion
M
Szücs
György
G
D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D016751:Hepatitis E / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology*; D016752:Hepatitis E virus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D006814:Hungary / Q000453:epidemiology; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies
D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M