Abstract
BackgroundThis cohort study was designed to investigate the prevalence of and potential risk factors of HEV infection in a large multi-ethnic youth cohort in China.MethodsBlood samples were collected from participants (n = 6269) and serum was isolated. All serum samples were tested for anti-HEV IgG, anti-HEV IgM antibodies using commercial enzyme immunoassay kits (Wantai Biological Pharmacy Enterprise, Beijing, China).ResultsThe overall rate of anti-HEV IgG and anti-HEV IgM prevalence was 4.78% and 0.14%, 0.03% were positive for both anti-HEV IgG and anti-HEV IgM antibodies. Anti-HEV IgG positivity is significantly higher in females (5.27%) compared to males (4.14%) (P = 0.028). Anti-HEV IgG prevalence is significantly (P = 0.0001) higher in Dong (17.57%), Miao (12.23%), Yi (11.04%), Gelao (9.76%), and Bai (10.00%) compared to other ethnic groups. It is significantly higher in Guizhou (11.4%), Sichuan (10.1%), Yunnan (9.3%), and Guangxi (6.9%) than that other province. We found that ethnicity and provincial background are significantly associated with HEV infection in this cohort.ConclusionThis study provides comprehensive information on HEV prevalence in multi-ethnic populations in China. However, our study only focused on a youth population from different provinces of China. Future studies are recommended to investigate HEV prevalence in other age groups of the ethnic populations.
Highlights
This cohort study was designed to investigate the prevalence of and potential risk factors of Hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection in a large multi-ethnic youth cohort in China
Study design We conducted this large multi-ethnic youth cohort study among the freshly enrolled students of Northwest Minzu University, a university dedicating to high education for ethnic populations in China. 5 ml of blood was taken in sterile syringes from 6269 students and was immediately transported to the laboratory for further processing
Serological tests Serum samples were tested for the presence of anti-HEV immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgM antibodies using commercial-available enzyme immunoassay kits (Wantai Biological Pharmacy Enterprise, Beijing, China) according to the manufacturer’s instructions
Summary
HEV infection is asymptomatic and self-limiting [2, 3], but it can cause severe diseases in specific populations, including pregnant women, immunocompromised patients, and patients with underlying liver diseases [4,5,6]. It is responsible for approximately 20 million new. The overall sero-prevalence of anti-HEV immunoglobulin G (IgG) among the general Chinese people’s ranges from 11–72% [7, 9, 11], and that of IgM is 1.8% [9]. HEV prevalence among different ethnic populations at the national level
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