Anti-HEV Seroprevalence in Blood Donors in Erzurum

© Viral Hepatit Dergisi, Ga le nos Ya y› ne vi ta ra f›n dan ba s›l m›fl t›r. / Viral Hepatitis Journal, pub lis hed by Ga le nos Pub lis hing. ABS TRACT Objective: Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is responsible for fecal-oral transmitted human acute hepatitis in endemic regions. Especially in non-endemic region, zoonotic transmission of hepatitis E raises an important public health concern over food safety and zoonotic risk. Previous seroprevalence studies have reported average rates of HEV seroprevalence about 6% in Turkey. This study was performed to determine hepatitis E virus seropositivity in blood donors and relation of seropositivity between age groups and sexes. Materials and Methods: A total of 248 blood donors were randomly selected and included the study. Anti-HEV IgG seropositivities were determined by ELISA. Results: HEV seropositivity was found in 10 (4.0%) of the donors. There were no significant differences among age groups and sexes. Conclusion: According to the results, HEV seroprevalence in Erzurum was found lower than the average seroprevalence of Turkey. The point that should not be ignored that, populations dealing with stockbreeding are at risk for zoonotic transmission. An extended seroepidemiological study on these populations with a detailed questionnaire may contribute to the identification of zoonotic risk factors. (Viral Hepatitis Journal 2013; 19(1): 23-6)