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Seroprevalence of Hepatitis E Virus in the UK Farming Population
Author(s) -
Meader E.,
Thomas D.,
Salmon R.,
Sillis M.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
zoonoses and public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.87
H-Index - 65
eISSN - 1863-2378
pISSN - 1863-1959
DOI - 10.1111/j.1863-2378.2009.01254.x
Subject(s) - seroprevalence , transmission (telecommunications) , hepatitis e virus , zoonosis , epidemiology , veterinary medicine , livestock , medicine , population , relative risk , environmental health , hepatitis e , serology , risk factor , virology , biology , immunology , antibody , ecology , genotype , biochemistry , confidence interval , electrical engineering , gene , engineering
Summary Hepatitis E is a zoonosis that can be acquired by the consumption of contaminated food or water, or via person‐to‐person spread. However, little is known about the transmission of hepatitis E virus (HEV) in the UK. We investigated the epidemiology of indigenous hepatitis E infection using the PHLS Farm Cohort, a sentinel group with a history of close contact with a range of domestic animals. Ten of the 413 subjects tested were positive for hepatitis E IgG antibodies (2.4%). Seroprevalence peaked in those aged 51 to 60 years (relative risk 3.3, 95% CI: 1.0–10.5). Male participants (relative risk 3.6, 95% CI: 0.6–21.2) and those from farms in the Hereford area of the United Kingdom (relative risk 2.7, 95% CI: 0.8–8.4), an area of mixed livestock farming, were more likely to have serological evidence of previous HEVs exposure, although these findings were not statistically significant. Exposure to pigs, or water from a private supply, was not identified as a significant risk factor. The results of this study suggest that UK farming populations are exposed to HEV, but the predominant route of transmission remains elusive.