[Prevalence of antibodies against hepatitis E virus among students from India living in Bialystok, Poland].

UNLABELLED: Many evidences suggest hepatitis E virus (HEV) infections may be more prevalent than previously described and viral hepatitis E cases can be observed in patients who have never visited endemic areas. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of serological markers of HEV infection among students from India living in Poland.

METHODOLOGY: Presence of anti-HEV immunoglobulin M-class (anti-HEV-IgM) and total anti-HEV antibodies (anti-HEV-total) was tested using enzyme immunoassays in sera of 45 India citizens studying in Poland.

RESULTS

Serological markers of past or present HEV infection were detected in 12 (26.7%) subjects. Anti-HEV-total were found in 5 students (11.1%), anti-HEV-IgM alone were detected in 3 persons and in combination with total anti-HEV in further 4.

CONCLUSIONS

There is a possible risk of person-to-person transmission of imported HEV from endemic areas, therefore HEV infection should be considered in all acute hepatitis patients regardless of travel history.