Seroprevalence and Incidence of hepatitis E in blood donors in Upper Austria.

ABSTRACT:

Background

In recent years various studies showed, that hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a growing public health problem in many developed countries. Therefore, HEV infections might bear a transmission risk by blood transfusions. The clinical relevance still requires further investigations. The aim of this study was to provide an overview of acute HEV infections in Upper Austrian blood donors as well as a risk estimation of this transfusion-related infection.

Methods and findings

A total of 58,915 blood donors were tested for HEV RNA using a commercial HEV RT-PCR Kit. 7 of these donors (0.01%) were PCR-positive with normal laboratory parameters in absence of clinical signs of hepatitis. Viral load determined by quantitative real-time PCR showed a HEV nucleic acid concentration of

SUBMITTER: Fischer C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4353625 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature