Prevalence of Hepatitis E Virus among Adults in South-West of Iran

Background. Knowledge regarding prevalence of HEV in general population can be an indicator of the public health and hygiene. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the prevalence ofHEV among adults in South-West of Iran. Methods. Blood samples were taken from510 participants, 206 (40.4%) males and 304 (59.6%) females fromFebruary to July 2014.Detection of anti-HEVIgG and IgM antibodies was carried out by ELISA test. Results.The overall anti-HEV IgG and IgMprevalence rates were 46.1% and 1.4%, respectively.Anti-HEVIgG and IgMseropositivitywere not statistically associated with gender and race/ethnicity.Meanwhile, there were significant differences between the age groups regarding HEV IgG and IgMseropositivity. HEV IgG seroprevalence increased with age from 14.3% in subjects aged 18–30 years to 71.4%in persons over 71 years old, and considerably individuals aged 61 to 70 years had the highest HEV prevalence (90.9%). Also, 5.7% in the age group 18–30 years and 2.2% in the age group 31–40 years were positive for anti-HEV IgM antibodies and the highest rate was observed in subjects aged 18–30 years. Conclusion. In conclusion, high HEV IgG seroprevalence of 46.1% was observed among adults in South-West of Iran