Hepatitis E virus antibodies in HIV-infected patients and blood donors from western Poland - a preliminary report

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection is an emerging problem in industrialized countries, including Europe. Little data exists on HEV seroprevalence in Poland. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of anti-HEV IgG antibodies in Polish patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and blood donors. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Two hundred and ten individuals (n = 105 of HIV-infected patients and n = 105 of ageand sex-matched blood donors from the same area; 178 men and 32 women), aged 18-50 (median age: 38 years), were tested for the presence of anti-HEV IgG antibodies with the EUROIMMUN Anti-Hepatitis E Virus (HEV) ELISA (IgG) tests (Lübeck, Germany). Additionally, some simple clinical and laboratory data was collected. RESULTS: The overall anti-HEV IgG prevalence was 2.4% (5/210). One HIV-positive patient (0.95%) and 4 blood donors (3.8%) were seropositive (p = 0.1745). All the HEV-exposed individuals were men with a history of travel abroad and no icteric disease in the past. CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to HEV infection among Polish HIV patients and blood donors seems to be uncommon. Data on this issue is scarce and conflicting for HIV-infected individuals. Further investigations applying different serological tests and concomitant HEV RNA testing are needed to reliably assess the risk and practical impact of HEV infection in Poland.