[Prevalence of hepatitis E virus (HEV) and risk factors in pig workers and blood donors].
BACKGROUND
Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is the main causative agent of enterically transmitted non-A non-B hepatitis with a self-limiting clinical presentation in humans. The increasing number of non-immigrant cases of hepatitis E and the high prevalence detected in pigs suggested that this species is a reservoir. Several studies have been published describing differences in the prevalence of anti-HEV antibodies between people exposed and not exposed to pigs, but the risk factors for the acquisition of the virus have not been well studied. The aim of this work was to study the prevalence of hepatitis E virus (HEV), IgG and IgM antibodies anti-HEV and the risk factors for the acquisition of this virus in a populations exposed and unexposed to pigs.


METHODS
Sera from 212 people were tested for the presence of RNA-HEV, IgG and IgM antibodies anti-HEV. Positive results obtained using ELISA assays were confirmed by western-blot.


RESULTS
RNA-HEV and IgM anti-VHE were not detected in any of the individuals. Twenty-five samples (11.8%) showed IgG anti-HEV, 21 (18.6%) persons in contact with pigs and 4 (4%) unexposed individuals (P=0.004); 19 (12.8%) had travelled out of Spain in the last year (P=0.507). None of the 25 seropositive people had consumed raw shellfish (P=0.999), whereas 23 (12.6%) had consumed raw vegetables (P=0.387) and 12 (30%) usually drank untreated water (P=0.008).


CONCLUSIONS
These data support that HEV infection should be treated as an occupational disease illness in pig workers. Therefore, systematic application of hygiene measures in this group is highly recommended to avoid exposure to this virus.
Galiana
Carolina
C
Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad CEU Cardenal Herrera, Moncada, Valencia, España.
Fernández-Barredo
Salceda
S
Pérez-Gracia
María Teresa
MT
D000328:Adult; D000382:Agricultural Workers' Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D000818:Animals; D001782:Blood Donors; D005260:Female; D016751:Hepatitis E / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D013552:Swine; D055815:Young Adult