title: A Nationwide Survey of Hepatitis E Virus Infection and Chronic Hepatitis E in Liver Transplant Recipients in Japan.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Recently, chronic hepatitis E has been increasingly reported in organ transplant recipients in European countries. In Japan, the prevalence of hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection after transplantation remains unclear, so we conducted a nationwide cross-sectional study to clarify the prevalence of chronic HEV infection in Japanese liver transplant recipients.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 1893 liver transplant recipients in 17 university hospitals in Japan were examined for the presence of immunoglobulin G (IgG), IgM and IgA classes of anti-HEV antibodies, and HEV RNA in serum.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of anti-HEV IgG, IgM and IgA class antibodies was 2.9% (54/1893), 0.05% (1/1893) and 0% (0/1893), respectively. Of 1651 patients tested for HEV RNA, two patients (0.12%) were found to be positive and developed chronic infection after liver transplantation. In both cases, HEV RNA was also detected in one of the blood products transfused at the perioperative period. Analysis of the HEV genomes revealed that the HEV isolates obtained from the recipients and the transfused blood products were identical in both cases, indicating transfusion-transmitted HEV infection.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence of HEV antibodies in liver transplant recipients was 2.9%, which is low compared with the healthy population in Japan and with organ transplant recipients in European countries; however, the present study found, for the first time, two Japanese patients with chronic HEV infection that was acquired via blood transfusion during or after liver transplantation.
authors: Yuki
authors: Y
authors: Inagaki
authors: Yukio
authors: Y
authors: Oshiro
authors: Tomohiro
authors: T
authors: Tanaka
authors: Tomoharu
authors: T
authors: Yoshizumi
authors: Hideaki
authors: H
authors: Okajima
authors: Kohei
authors: K
authors: Ishiyama
authors: Chikashi
authors: C
authors: Nakanishi
authors: Masaaki
authors: M
authors: Hidaka
authors: Hiroshi
authors: H
authors: Wada
authors: Taizo
authors: T
authors: Hibi
authors: Kosei
authors: K
authors: Takagi
authors: Masaki
authors: M
authors: Honda
authors: Kaori
authors: K
authors: Kuramitsu
authors: Hideaki
authors: H
authors: Tanaka
authors: Taiji
authors: T
authors: Tohyama
authors: Toshihiko
authors: T
authors: Ikegami
authors: Satoru
authors: S
authors: Imura
authors: Tsuyoshi
authors: T
authors: Shimamura
authors: Yoshimi
authors: Y
authors: Nakayama
authors: Taizen
authors: T
authors: Urahashi
authors: Kazumasa
authors: K
authors: Yamagishi
authors: Hiroshi
authors: H
authors: Ohnishi
authors: Shigeo
authors: S
authors: Nagashima
authors: Masaharu
authors: M
authors: Takahashi
authors: Ken
authors: K
authors: Shirabe
authors: Norihiro
authors: N
authors: Kokudo
authors: Hiroaki
authors: H
authors: Okamoto
authors: Nobuhiro
authors: N
authors: Ohkohchi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000276:immunology; D016751:Hepatitis E / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D016752:Hepatitis E virus; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012367:RNA, Viral; D066027:Transplant Recipients; D019562:Viral Load; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies; D012367:RNA, Viral