PREVALENCE OF HEPATITIS-E VIRUS IGG ANTIBODIES IN PATIENTS FROM A REFERRAL UNIT OF LIVER-DISEASES IN SALVADOR, BAHIA, BRAZIL

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is prevalent in Asia and Africa. Recently, it was also described in Mexico, but epidemiologic data from other Latin American countries are scarce. The seroprevalence of anti-HEV in a ref erral hepatology unit in northern Brazil was determined by testing for anti-HEV IgG in 701 serum samples from our serum bank. Specimens anal yzed were from 200 blood donors, 79 patients with acute viral hepatiti s (AVH), 392 hemodialyzed patients, and 30 carriers of schistosomiasis . Duplicate test results for anti-HEV were positive in four (2%) of 20 0 of the blood donors, three (10%) of the 30 carriers of schistosomias is, and in none of the 392 hemodialyzed patients, Fourteen (17.7%) of the AVH patients were positive, as were six (25%) of 24 with hepatitis A virus, three (11%) of 26 with hepatitis B virus, 0 (0%) of 12 with hepatitis C virus, and five (29%) of 17 with non-A, non-B, non-C hepat itis viruses. Among AVH cases, those with hepatitis A virus had a high er frequency of anti-HEV positivity compared with all other hepatotrop ic viruses (P < 0.0003). We conclude that HEV is prevalent in northern Brazil. The higher prevalence in patients compared with blood donors could be explained by the lower social condition of patients who sough t public health service in this area, in contrast with the heterogeneo us socioeconomic distribution of blood donors. Patients with AVH due t o hepatitis A had a greater frequency of anti-HEV, probably because of similar routes of transmission for both hepatitis A and E viruses. Fi nally, the absence of anti-HEV in the hemodialyzed group could be expl ained by a lower immunologic response found in patients with chronic r enal failure.