Toole Michael J, Claridge Frances, Anderson David A, Zhuang Hui, Morgan Christopher, Otto Brad, Stewart Tony
Burnet Institute for Medical Research and Public Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Australian Red Cross, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2006 Feb;74(2):250-4.
In April-May 2001, a study was conducted to determine the prevalence of antibodies against hepatitis E virus (HEV) among 426 persons 8-49 years of age randomly selected from two groups of rural villages in central Tibet. Group 1 villages were assessed in 1998 as having poor quality water sources; new water systems were then constructed prior to this study. Group 2 villages had higher quality water and were not designated as priority villages for new systems prior to the study. No participants tested positive for IgM; only IgG was detected in the analyzed samples. Overall, 31% of the participants had ever been infected with HEV (95% confidence interval [CI] = 26.7-35.7%). The rate was higher in men (36.6%) than women (26.3%) and highest in those 30-39 years of age (49.1%). The rate of past infection was higher in group 1; the risk ratio was 2.77 (95% CI = 1.98-3.88). This difference is most likely the result of the poor quality of the original water sources in these villages. In resource-poor countries, HEV may be a useful health indicator reflecting the degree of contamination in village water sources. This may be especially important in rural areas (such as Tibet) where maternal mortality ratios are high because HEV may be an important cause of deaths during pregnancy in disease-endemic areas.
2001年4月至5月，开展了一项研究，以确定从西藏中部两组乡村中随机选取的426名8至49岁人群中抗戊型肝炎病毒（HEV）抗体的流行情况。第1组乡村在1998年被评估为水源质量差；在本研究之前新建了供水系统。第2组乡村的水质较好，在研究之前未被指定为新建供水系统的优先乡村。所有参与者的IgM检测均为阴性；在分析的样本中仅检测到IgG。总体而言，31%的参与者曾感染过HEV（95%置信区间[CI]=26.7-35.7%）。男性感染率（36.6%）高于女性（26.3%），30至39岁人群的感染率最高（49.1%）。第1组既往感染率较高；风险比为2.77（95%CI=1.98-3.88）。这种差异很可能是这些乡村原水源质量差的结果。在资源匮乏的国家，HEV可能是反映乡村水源污染程度的一个有用的健康指标。这在孕产妇死亡率较高的农村地区（如西藏）可能尤为重要，因为在疾病流行地区，HEV可能是孕期死亡的一个重要原因。
