Epidemiological characteristics of hepatitis E and genotypes of hepatitis E virus in Maanshan area of Anhui province

Objective To evaluate the sero-prevalence of hipatitis E virus(HEV) infection and the molecular characteristics of HEV circulating in Maanshan area of Anhui.Methods A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted among permanent residents selected with stratified cluster sampling.HEV RNA in serum sample was detected with RT-PCR for patients with acute sporadic hepatitis E and the people with positive HEV IgM antibody.Results Total positive rate of HEV IgG antibody among 1616 residents was 4.76%(4.76% in males,4.77% in females).The association between the prevalence of anti-HEV IgG and blood transfusion,marital status,and risk behavior was statistically significant,except for history of hepatitis.Ten serum samples were positive for HEV RNA and all of the positive samples were HEV genotype IV.Conclusion The result of the study suggests that HEV infection is low among the normal population and the prevalence of HEV differs in residents with different age but not gender in Maanshan area of Anhui.The genetic variability of the HEV isolates in this area is low.