Prevalence of hepatitis E virus in Egyptian children presented with minor hepatic disorders

¹Alaa A. Aboulata, ¹M. Shees Ahmad, ²Mohamad M. A. Shaban, ²Khaled M. S. Zayd and ²Ahmad M. Abd El-Moktader

Departments of ¹Microbiology & Immunology and ²Pediatric, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is considered as one of the common causes of particular hepatitis in developing countries. It is transmitted in a fecal–oral manner. It causes sporadic infections and large epidemics. To estimate the prevalence of anti-HEV IgG and IgM antibodies to ORF3 peptide of Hepatitis E virus genome in an age of children, study subjects (100children) between 6 months and 10 years with minor, hepatic illnesses were recruited for the study during the period from September 2004 to September 2005. Serum anti-HEV IgG and anti-HEV IgM antibodies were screened in all subjects, anti-HEV IgM antibodies were assayed as an indicator of recent infection. Serum transaminases (AST and ALT) were estimated in positive subjects. Out of 100subjects recruited, 26 subjects (26%)demonstrated anti-HEV IgG and 6 (6 %) were anti-HEV IgM and IgG positive. Anti-HEV IgG were present since the first year of age till 10 years of age and increased with advancing age. Serum transaminases were raised in one (17%) of subjects with anti-HEV IgM antibodies. Conclusions: Children are susceptible to HEV infection since early infancy. Seropositivity to HEV antibodies increased by over 2 times beyond 4 years of age as compared to younger age.