title: Seroepidemiology of hepatitis E virus in patients with non-A, non-B, non-C hepatitis in Hungary.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Diagnostic Laboratory for Infectious Diseases and Perinatal Screening, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Annika
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Haagsman
authors.forename: Gábor
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Reuter
authors.forename: Erwin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Duizer
authors.forename: Gyuláné
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nagy
authors.forename: Tineke
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Herremans
authors.forename: Marion
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Koopmans
authors.forename: György
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Szücs
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M