High prevalence of anti- hepatitis E virus among Egyptian blood donors

This study evaluated the seroprevalence of hepatitis E virus among blood donors attending blood transfusion Center of Suez Canal University Hospital from March to September, 2010. Four hundred eighty eight (488) subjects which consisted of 137 Anti- Hepatitis C virus positive donors, 35 Hepatitis B surface antigens positive donors and 316 blood donors who were negative Hepatitis B surface antigen, Anti- Hepatitis C virus and HIV were included in this study. Anti-hepatitis E virus (IgG and IgM) was detected in 17.7, 28.57, and 26.28 % of blood donors negative for Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and Anti- Hepatitis C virus, Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positive and Anti- Hepatitis C virus positive donors, respectively. No significant (P> 0.05) association was found between anti- Hepatitis E virus positivity and Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positivity and anti-Hepatitis C virus) positivity subjects. The overall prevalence of anti- Hepatitis E virus antibodies (IgG and IgM) was 20.9 % (102/488). Seroprevalence increased significantly with age; from 8.3 % in subjects below 20 years of age, 16.94 % in 20-34 years of age, 34.5 % in 35-49 years of age and a slight decline of 33.3 % over those of 50 years of age. All anti-HEV antibodies samples were negative for Hepatitis E virus RNA by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method. Even though, seroprevalence of hepatitis E virus antibody among blood donors in our study in Ismailia, Egypt is high, transfusion-associated with hepatitis E infection still needs further investigation.