Emerging Infectious Diseases (Jun 2011)

Hepatitis E Virus Seroprevalence and Chronic Infections in Patients with HIV, Switzerland

  • Alain Kenfak-Foguena,
  • Franziska Schöni-Affolter,
  • Philippe Bürgisser,
  • Andrea Witteck,
  • Katharine E.A. Darling,
  • Helen Kovari,
  • Laurent Kaiser,
  • John-Marc Evison,
  • Luigia Elzi,
  • Vanina Gurtner De La Fuente,
  • Josef Jost,
  • Darius Moradpour,
  • Florence Abravanel,
  • Jacques Izopet,
  • Matthias Cavassini

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3201/eid1706.101067
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 17, no. 6
pp. 1074 – 1078

Abstract

Read online

We screened 735 HIV-infected patients in Switzerland with unexplained alanine aminotransferase elevation for hepatitis E virus (HEV) immunoglobulin G. Although HEV seroprevalence in this population is low (2.6%), HEV RNA can persist in patients with low CD4 cell counts. Findings suggest chronic HEV infection should be considered as a cause of persistent alanine aminotransferase elevation.

Keywords