Heliyon (Jun 2024)

Hepatitis E virus in children and adolescents living in an urban environment in central Argentina: An explorative study

  • Lorena L. Cervella,
  • Cecilia García Oro,
  • Anabella C. Fantilli,
  • Guadalupe Di Cola,
  • Maribel G. Martínez Wassaf,
  • Gabriela Oropeza,
  • Gonzalo M. Castro,
  • Paola Sicilia,
  • Viviana E. Ré,
  • Maria Belén Pisano

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10, no. 11
p. e32284

Abstract

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In Argentina, circulation of hepatitis E virus (HEV) genotype 3 has been described, producing sporadic cases of acute and chronic hepatitis. Limited information is available regarding HEV infection in children, so we aimed to investigate this virus in a pediatric population from the country. Serum samples from Argentine children (0–18 years old) (n = 213) were studied for IgG anti-HEV, IgM anti-HEV and RNA-HEV: 202 samples belonged to individuals attending health-care centers for routine check-ups, and 11 samples from patients with acute hepatitis of unknown etiology. Seropositivity for IgG anti-HEV was 1.49 % (3/202). One sample from an 18-years-old female patient with acute hepatitis tested positive for IgM anti-HEV detection, negative for IgG anti-HEV and RNA-HEV, but also positive for IgM anti-EBV. The HEV prevalence was low and showed circulation among children in central Argentina.

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