Hepatitis E virus seroprevalence in three hyperendemic areas: Nepal,Bangladesh and southwest France

BackgroundHepatitis E causes a significant burden of disease in developing countries and has recently been increasingly recognized in developed countries. Comparing population anti-hepatitis E virus (HEV) seroprevalence across populations has been difficult.ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to compare the anti-HEV IgG seroprevalence in both adults and children in three hyper-endemic areas (Nepal, Bangladesh and southwest France) using a sensitive, commercial anti-HEV IgG assay.Study DesignSerum or plasma from adults and children in Nepal (n=498), Bangladesh (n = 1,009) and Southwest France (n = 1031) were tested for anti-HEV IgG using the Wantai assay.ResultsAfter age-standardization, anti-HEV IgG seroprevalence was 47.1%, 49.8% and 34.0% in Nepal, Bangladesh and southwest France, respectively. There was no difference in seroprevalence by gender in any of the countries. A paucity of infections in children 1–10 years-old was consistently observed (less than 15%) at all 3 locations.ConclusionsSurprisingly similar high rates of anti-HEV antibodies were detected using a common, sensitive assay. Despite differences in the epidemiology and circulating genotype of HEV in Nepal, Bangladesh and southwest France, this study found more similarities in population seroprevalence than expected.