ACUTE HEPATITIS-E IN CATANIA (EASTERN SICILY) 1980-1994 - THE ROLE OFHEPATITIS-E VIRUS

Between 1980 and 1994, 540 patients,vith acute viral hepatitis were ad mitted to hospital at the Department of Infectious Diseases of Catania (eastern Sicily), Twenty-five patients out of 540 were assessed as ha ving non-A, non-B, non-C hepatitis. These subjects were studied for an ti-HEV IgM and IgG seroprevalence by testing serial serum samples coll ected 1, 4, 12 and 24 weeks after the onset of acute disease. Fourteen of 25 samples (56%) seroconverted to anti-HEV IgG antibodies. No samp le was positive for anti-HEV IgG at week 1, ten samples were positive at week 4 and the remainder at week 12. Anti-HEV reactivity was mainta ined until week 24 in all cases. In 11 of the 14 patients seroconverti ng to anti-HEV, the presence of IgM anti-HEV was found,,which appeared in the sample from week I and gradually disappeared thereafter Identi fied risk factors for HEV transmission included travel in the tropics and shellfish ingestion (anti-HEV positive versus anti-HEV negative: p < 0.05). HEV-related hepatitis is not yet a major public health probl em in Sicily but, from our data, the trend of its incidence is clearly upwards. The high incidence of faecally-orally transmitted diseases i n Sicily, the crucial position of Sicily in the middle of the Mediterr anean Sea (where HEV largely circulates) and the increase of migration from developing countries are all factors which should increase aware ness for a more active surveillance of the spread of HEV in our area.