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A serological study of intrafamilial spread from patients with sporadic hepatitis E virus infection
Author(s) -
Somani S. K.,
Aggarwal R.,
Naik S. R.,
Srivastava S.,
Naik S.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
journal of viral hepatitis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.329
H-Index - 100
eISSN - 1365-2893
pISSN - 1352-0504
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2893.2003.00458.x
Subject(s) - serology , virology , transmission (telecommunications) , medicine , hepatitis , antibody , hepatitis a , virus , hepatitis e virus , index case , immunology , hepatitis b virus , biology , genotype , outbreak , biochemistry , electrical engineering , engineering , gene
Summary. Intrafamilial transmission is rare in epidemic hepatitis E; its frequency in sporadic hepatitis E is not known. We followed up 86 household contacts (age range 4–75 years, mean ± SD 32.4 ± 15.8; 49 males), who were family members of patients with acute sporadic hepatitis E. Of the 86 contacts, 68 (79%) tested negative for IgG anti‐hepatitis E virus antibodies. Four (4.7%) had IgM anti‐hepatitis E virus antibodies at the time of diagnosis of hepatitis E in the index case; two of these contacts possibly had hepatitis E virus infection acquired simultaneously with that in the index case, and two could have had intrafamilial transmission. None developed serological evidence of hepatitis E virus infection over a period of 49 ± 18 days after the diagnosis of index case, although a majority lacked IgG antibodies to hepatitis E virus and were likely to be susceptible. This suggests that person‐to‐person transmission is uncommon in sporadic hepatitis E.