Printable Copy |
J Infect Dis. (2013) doi: 10.1093/infdis/jit409 First published online: August 6, 2013
+ Author Affiliations
Abstract below; full text is at http://jid.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2013/08/06/infdis.jit409.full.pdf+html
Background. Hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection causes major epidemics of infectious hepatitis, with high mortality rates in pregnant women. Recent reports indicate that HEV co-infections with HIV may have a more protracted course. However, the impact of HEV infections in communities heavily affected by HIV remains poorly studied. We set out to examine age-related seroprevalence in a community where we have previously carried out studies on environmental enteropathy.
Methods. Blood samples from 194 children and 106 adults were examined for IgG and IgM antibodies for HEV. HEV data were correlated with HIV status and morphometric analysis of small intestinal biopsies.
Results. Seroprevalence rose throughout childhood, from 8% in children aged 1-4 years, to 36% in children aged 10-14 years. In adults the overall prevalence was 42%, with 28% in HIV seronegative adults and 71% in seropositive adults (OR 6.2; 95%CI 2.2-18; P=0.0001). In adults, villous height and crypt depth measurements showed that HEV seropositivity was associated with worse enteropathy (P=0.05 and 0.005 respectively).
Conclusions. HEV infection is common in Zambia. In adults it is strongly associated with HIV status, and also with environmental enteropathy.
Received January 19, 2013.
Revision received June 21, 2013.
Accepted June 28, 2013.