title: Anti hepatitis E virus seropositivity in a group of male blood donors in Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the seropositivity of Immunoglobulin-G and Immunoglobulin-M to hepatitis E virus in male blood donors in Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was carried out from March to August 2009, in which 900 blood samples were collected from 4 different hospital blood banks in Makkah City: AL-Noor Hospital, Central Blood Bank, Maternity and Children Hospital, and Herra Hospital. All the samples were tested for Immunoglobulin-G and Immunoglobulin-M antibodies specific to hepatitis E virus using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Hepatitis E virus-specific Immunoglobulin-G antibodies were detected in 168/900 (18.7%), and IgM in 39/900 (4.3%) samples. Prevalence of the former was found to be higher in non-Saudi donors. In addition, its prevalence increased with age. Moreover, its prevalence was found to be higher in uneducated donors and in donors who drank well-water.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Exposure to hepatitis E virus among blood donors in Makkah City was high in comparison to the neighbouring areas in the region. Further studies are warranted to determine the true seroprevalence of the virus in the society at large.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Ayman Khalid
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Johargy
authors.forename: Mahomed Farouk
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Mahomed
authors.forename: Mohammad Mubashir
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.forename: Saeed
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kabrah
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D001771:Blood Banks; D016751:Hepatitis E / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016752:Hepatitis E virus / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012529:Saudi Arabia / Q000453:epidemiology; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M