Hepatitis E virus incidence in patients with non-identified acute viral hepatitis in Mexico

Abstract

Introduction: Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is one of the identified pathogens that cause acute viral hepatitis in Mexico. It has been observed that the presence of this particular pathogen represents a great risk in pregnant women and solid organ transplant recipients. In Mexico there are no formal epidemiological reports about HEV. The objective of this study is to determine the incidence of HEV infection in Mexican patients with non-identified viral infection, and to provide a general perspective of the epidemiological characteristics of HEV. Materials and methods: We selected a total of 624 patient samples that where collected from January 2010 to June 2013 in 32 states of Mexico. The patients were clinically suspected of having viral hepatitis and obtained a negative result for HAV, HBV and HCV infection. The samples were then analyzed with an ELISA test. Results: We determined an incidence of 1.76% in the analyzed Mexican population with clinical presentation of viral hepatitis, predominantly in the age group of 18–60 years, with no statistical difference in relation to gender. Conclusions: The incidence of HEV infection is probably underdiagnosed, and there is a marked lack of knowledge regarding its epidemiology in Mexico. Further studies should be performed in order to understand the epidemiology, risks factors, pathogenesis and prevention of this disease.

Keywords

• Hepatitis E virus
• Incidence
• Acute viral hepatitis