Hepatitis E virus prevalence among blood donors in Wuhan

Abstract

Objective To investigate the prevalence and risk factor of hepatitis E virus(HEV) infection among blood donors in Wuhan. Methods A total of 1 302 serum samples (including 1 076 with normal ALT and 226 with elevated ALT) from blood donors were randomly collected from January to December 2021 in Wuhan Blood Center. Anti-HEV IgG, IgM and HEV antigen (Ag) were examined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The IgM or Ag positive and elevated ALT samples were subjected to real time-PCR to detect HEV RNA. Multivariable logistic regression modeling was used to examine the risk factors associated with HEV prevalence. Results Overall, the positive rates of anti-HEV IgG, IgM, and Ag were 16.44%, 1.0% and 0.08%, respectively. However, none of the serum samples were HEV RNA positive. The prevalence of anti-HEV IgG and anti-HEV IgM was similar in samples with increased ALT and normal ALT (IgG 13.72% vs 17.01%, P>0.05; IgM 1.33% vs 0.93%, P>0.05). Multivariate analysis revealed a strong statistical association between age and HEV IgG seroprevalence. The prevalence increased with increasing age, from 5.4% (18~25 years old) to 68.7%(the highest) in blood donors above 46 years (P<0.05). Conclusion HEV showed a seroprevalence among blood donors in Wuhan, some of whom were recent infections, suggesting a threat to the safety of blood transfusions. A low anti-HEV prevalence in young adults (18~25 years) is indicative of a susceptible population and implicates a higher risk of HEV infections in this age group in the future.

Keywords

• hev
• prevalence
• blood donor