ACUTE SPORADIC HEPATITIS-E IN AN EGYPTIAN PEDIATRIC POPULATION

A study was conducted to determine the etiology of acute hepatitis amo ng 261 children (age range 1-11 years) living in Cairo, Egypt. A blood sample was obtained from each subject when initially evaluated and a questionnaire was used to collect demographic and risk factor data. Se ra were tested by enzyme immunoassay for acute hepatitis A (anti-hepat itis A virus IgM), hepatitis B (anti-hepatitis B core antigen IgM and hepatitis B surface antigen [HBsAg]), hepatitis C (total anti-HCV), de lta hepatitis (total anti-delta), and cytomegalovirus infection (anti- CMV IgM). In addition, hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection was diagnosed using a new Western blot technique to test patients with non-A, non-B hepatitis for anti-HEV IgM. Among 261 children, acute hepatitis A was diagnosed in 85 (32.6%) patients, acute hepatitis B in 19 (7.3%), del ta hepatitis in 3 (1.1%), mixed hepatitis A and B infection in 2 (0.8% ), CMV infection in 1 (0.4%), hepatitis E in 58 (22.2%), and non-A, no n-B hepatitis of unknown type in 51 (19.5%). Forty-two (16.1%) subject s had HBsAg without other markers of acute infection. Risk factor anal ysis indicated that patients living in homes not connected to a munici pal source of water were at increased risk of hepatitis E infection. T hese data provide additional evidence that hepatitis E virus is a comm on cause of acute sporadic hepatitis in children living in Egypt.