Hepatitis E seroprevalence in East and West Flanders, Belgium
| Journal | Volume 75 - 2012 |
| Issue | Fasc.3 - Original articles |
| Author(s) | F. Van Hoecke, T. Van Maerken, M. De Boulle, A. Geerts, Van Vlierberghe, I. Colle, H. E. Padalko |
| Full article |
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| (1) Department of Clinical Chemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, (2) Department of Hepatology and Gastroenterology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium. (*) Equally contributing authors. |
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Background and study aim : Hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection is increasingly recognized as a cause of hepatitis in developed coun- tries. The goal of this study is to provide an estimate of the sero- prevalence of HEV in Belgium, more precisely in East and West Flanders, since data for this country are currently lacking. Patients and methods : One hundred patients presenting at the gynecological (mainly fertility center) or orthopedic clinics of our hospital were randomly selected to be tested for anti-HEV IgG antibodies using a sensitive indirect ELISA and, in the case of a borderline result, a strip immunoassay. Results : The anti-HEV IgG seroprevalence was found to be 14%. Conclusions : The observed seroprevalence rate suggests that HEV infection is not an uncommon occurrence in Belgium. Comparisons with published seroprevalence data of other Western European countries should be made with caution due to differences in the analytical performance of anti-HEV IgG assays. (Acta gastro- enterol. belg., 2012, 75, 322-324). |
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© Acta Gastro-Enterologica Belgica. PMID 23082702 |
