Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
PLoS One. 2011;6(6):e21150. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0021150. Epub 2011 Jun 20.
The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of Hepatitis E virus (HEV) among blood donors in southwest Switzerland.
HEV is recognized as a food-borne disease in industrialized countries, transmitted mainly through pork meat. Cases of transmission through blood transfusion have also been reported. Recent studies have revealed seroprevalence rates of 13.5%, 16.6% and 20.6% among blood donors in England, France and Denmark, respectively.
We analyzed 550 consecutive blood donor samples collected in the region of Lausanne, canton of Vaud, Switzerland, for the presence of anti-HEV IgG, using the MP Diagnostics HEV ELISA kit. For each donor, we documented age, sex and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) value.
The study panel was composed of 332 men (60.4%) and 218 women (39.6%). Overall, anti-HEV IgG was found in 27 of 550 samples (4.9%). The seroprevalence was 5.4% (18/332) in men and 4.1% (9/218) in women. The presence of anti-HEV IgG was not correlated with age, gender or ALT values. However, we observed a peak in seroprevalence of 5.3% in individuals aged 51 to 70 years old.
Compared with other European countries, HEV seroprevalence among blood donors in southwest Switzerland is low. The low seroprevalence may be explained by the sensitivity of commercial tests used and/or the strict regulation of animal and meat imports. Data regarding HEV prevalence in Swiss livestock are lacking and merit exploration.
本研究旨在确定瑞士西南部献血者中戊型肝炎病毒（HEV）的血清流行率。
HEV 在工业化国家被认为是一种食源性疾病，主要通过猪肉传播。也有报道通过输血传播的病例。最近的研究显示，英国、法国和丹麦的献血者血清流行率分别为 13.5%、16.6%和 20.6%。
我们使用 MP Diagnostics HEV ELISA 试剂盒分析了瑞士沃州洛桑地区采集的 550 例连续献血者样本，以检测抗-HEV IgG 的存在。对于每个献血者，我们记录了年龄、性别和丙氨酸氨基转移酶（ALT）值。
研究组由 332 名男性（60.4%）和 218 名女性（39.6%）组成。总体而言，在 550 个样本中有 27 个（4.9%）检测到抗-HEV IgG。男性的血清流行率为 5.4%（18/332），女性为 4.1%（9/218）。抗-HEV IgG 的存在与年龄、性别或 ALT 值无关。然而，我们观察到 51 至 70 岁年龄组的血清流行率峰值为 5.3%。
与其他欧洲国家相比，瑞士西南部献血者的 HEV 血清流行率较低。低血清流行率可能是由于使用的商业检测的敏感性以及对动物和肉类进口的严格监管所致。瑞士牲畜中关于 HEV 流行率的数据尚不清楚，值得进一步研究。
