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Hepatitis E Virus: Relevance in Blood Donors and Other Risk Groups
Author(s) -
Mateos María Luisa,
Camarero Cristina,
Lasa Elena,
Teruel José Luis,
Mir Nuria,
Baquero Fernando
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
vox sanguinis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.68
H-Index - 83
eISSN - 1423-0410
pISSN - 0042-9007
DOI - 10.1046/j.1423-0410.1998.7540267.x
Subject(s) - hepatitis e virus , medicine , incidence (geometry) , hemodialysis , blood transfusion , hepatitis c virus , virology , virus , feces , transmission (telecommunications) , hepatitis , hepatitis c , hepatitis e , immunology , genotype , biology , paleontology , biochemistry , physics , electrical engineering , gene , optics , engineering
Background and Objectives: Hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection usually causes an acute self‐limited disease. HEV is associated with feces‐contaminated drinking water, but other vectors, such as blood, are possible. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of HEV in blood donors and in two groups at high risk of parenteral infections, namely, hemodialysis patients and children infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) via blood transfusion. Materials and Methods: We investigated the prevalence of anti‐HEV in 863 blood donors, 63 hemodialysis patients, and 42 children infected with HCV posttransfusion. Results: The prevalence rates were 2.8, 6.3%, and 0 respectively. Conclusions: (1) The incidence of HEV in Spain is similar to that in other western European countries, and (2) HEV is probably not transmitted parenterally to children.