OBJECTIVETo analyze the main risk factors of hepatitis E virus infection.

METHODSLiteratures published in China and abroad about the risk factors on the transmission of HEV were searched. HEV, risk factors, epidemiology and case-control were used as keywords to retrieve papers in Chinese literature databases including CNKI, Wanfang and SinoMed databases. The same strategy was used to retrieve English papers in English literature database including EBSCO and PubMed databases, supplemented by literature tracing method. Time range was from January 1994 to December 2012. A total of 258 papers were collected. Stata 11.0 software was used to calculate combined odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence internals (CI).

RESULTSA total of 21 studies was included in this Meta-analysis, which contained 3566 cases and 14 724 controls. The results of univariate analysis including OR (95%CI) : Dining out: 2.13 (1.62-2.81), consumption of aquatic products: 2.21 (1.76-3.31), unboiled water: 2.04 (1.13-3.71), not washing hands before meals:1.72 (1.07-2.77), common health facilities: 2.53(1.73-3.70), touching animals:2.00 (1.58-2.52), consumption of contaminated food:1.56 (1.18-2.05), contacting with patients: 2.33 (1.92-2.83), drinking alcohol: 2.56 (1.42-4.63) and gender (male):1.64 (1.15-2.33). The results of multivariate analysis including OR (95%CI) : Dining out: 2.04 (1.68-2.48), consumption of aquatic products: 2.31(1.70-3.15), unboiled water: 1.43 (1.10-1.85), not washing hands before meals: 2.01 (1.46-2.77), common health facilities: 2.28 (1.48-3.51), consumption of contaminated food: 2.16 (2.06-2.26), touching animals: 2.17 (1.55-3.04), contacting with patients: 2.32 (1.68-3.21), drinking alcohol: 1.66 (1.31-2.10) and gender (male): 1.67 (1.46-1.92).

CONCLUSIONThe independent risk factors of HEV infection were dining out, consumption of aquatic products, unboiled water, not washing hands before meals, common health facilities, touching animals, consumption of contaminated food, contacting with patients, drinking alcohol and gender (male).

Hepatitis E ; epidemiology ; Hepatitis E virus ; Humans ; Risk Factors

Hepatitis E ; epidemiology ; Hepatitis E virus ; Humans ; Renal Dialysis

China ; epidemiology ; Hepatitis E ; epidemiology ; Hepatitis E virus ; genetics ; immunology ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin E

This paper summarizes the incidence, modes of transmission, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of chronic hepatitis E.
Humans ; Hepatitis E/prevention & control* ; Hepatitis, Chronic/epidemiology* ; Incidence

China ; epidemiology ; Female ; Hepatitis E ; blood ; epidemiology ; Hepatitis E virus ; immunology ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin M ; blood ; Male ; Middle Aged

Hepatitis E outbreaks are a serious public health concern in developing countries. The disease causes acute infections, primarily in young adults. The mortality rate is approximately 2%; however, it can exceed 20% in pregnant women in some regions in India. The causative agent, hepatitis E virus (HEV), has been isolated from several animal species, including pigs. HEV genotypes 3 and 4 have been isolated from both humans and animals, and are recognized as zoonotic pathogens. Seroprevalence studies in animals and humans indirectly suggest that HEV infections occur worldwide. The virus is primarily transmitted to humans via undercooked animal meats in developed countries. Moreover, transfusion- and transplantation-mediated HEV infections have recently been reported. This review summarizes the general characteristics of hepatitis E, HEV infection status in animals and humans, the zoonotic transmission modes of HEV, and HEV vaccine development status.
Animals ; Genotype ; Hepatitis E/*epidemiology/mortality/*transmission/virology ; Hepatitis E virus/genetics/*physiology ; Humans ; Zoonoses/epidemiology/mortality/*transmission/virology

Animals ; China ; epidemiology ; Disease Reservoirs ; Hepatitis E ; epidemiology ; transmission ; Hepatitis E virus ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Humans ; Rodentia ; virology ; Swine ; virology

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotypes have distinct geographic distributions. The possibility of pathogenic differences among HBV genotypes has been suggested. We investigated the prevalence of HBV genotypes in Korea and the association between distinct genotypes and clinical outcomes. METHODS: Using a PCR-RFLP and sequencing, HBV genotypes were determined in 136 patients with chronic type B hepatitis. RESULTS: The genotype C was detected in 131 patients (96.3%), and other 5 patients (3.7%) had genotype B. There were no significant differences in sex, age, disease duration, ALT level, HBeAg/anti-HBe status, or HBeAg loss between genotype B and C patients. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that almost all patients with chronic hepatitis B are infected with genotype C. Genotypes do not influence the outcome of chronic hepatitis B patients in Korea.
Epidemiology ; Genotype* ; Hepatitis ; Hepatitis B e Antigens ; Hepatitis B virus ; Hepatitis B, Chronic* ; Hepatitis, Chronic* ; Humans ; Korea ; Prevalence*

OBJECTIVETo study the simple infection and super/co-infection of HAV-HEV, HGV in patients with viral hepatitis.

METHODSUsing EIA method to detect anti-HAV IgM, HBV serum markers, anti-HCV IgM, anti-HDV IgM, anti-HEV IgM, anti-HGV IgM in viral hepatitis patients with different clinical types.

RESULTSSeventy-three percent patients (154/210) had HBV infection markers, twenty-nine percent patients (61/210) had HAV infection marker, eight percent patients (17/210) had HCV, HDV infection markers, ten percent patients (21/210) had HEV infection and seven percent patients (15/210) had HGV infection. Only nine percent patients (20/210) had viral hepatitis serum markers negative. In all clinical types, sixty-one percent patients had only one type hepatitis virus infection, thirty-two percent patients had two types of hepatitis virus super/co-infection, six percent patients had three types of hepatitis virus super/co-infection. Super/co-infection often occurred in patients who had cirrhosis or hepatic failure.

CONCLUSIONHBV and HAV infection is very common in viral hepatitis patients, whereas HCV, HDV, HEV and HGV infection is relatively low; double super/co-infection of HAV-HEV, HGV frequently occurs in severe patients with viral hepatitis.

Antibodies, Viral ; blood ; China ; epidemiology ; Female ; GB virus C ; isolation & purification ; Hepatitis A ; epidemiology ; virology ; Hepatitis A virus ; isolation & purification ; Hepatitis E ; epidemiology ; virology ; Hepatitis E virus ; isolation & purification ; Hepatitis Viruses ; isolation & purification ; Hepatitis, Viral, Human ; epidemiology ; virology ; Humans ; Male ; Superinfection

OBJECTIVETo determine the distribution of genotype IV among hepatitis E virus (HEV) infections in Wuhan by sequencing the open reading frame (ORF) 3 gene of HEV clinical isolates.

METHODSSerum samples were collected from 103 individuals who tested positive for the anti-HEV IgM antibody, and total HEV RNA was extracted for targeted gene sequencing analysis. Reverse transcription-nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to amplify two fragments of the ORF3 gene (5020 to 5392 nt and 5347 to 5956 nt, EF570133). The two PCR products were sequenced and the sequences were stitched with the ContigExpress program and used to determine the HEV genotype.

RESULTSBoth ORF3 gene fragments were amplified in 18 out of the 103 anti-HEV IgM-positive serum samples. These 18 HEV isolates shared 92.5% to 99.4% identity with each other at the nucleotide level. Nucleotide sequence homology analysis of the HEV genotypes I, II, III, and IV indicated the highest homology was with genotype IV; specifically, homology with genotype I was 83.5% to 86.7%, with genotype II was 83.2% to 85.2%, with genotype III was 84.6% to 87.2%, and with genotype IV was 92.0% to 96.5%.

CONCLUSIONTargeted sequencing of the HEV ORF3 gene facilitated genotyping of clinical isolates. Using this method, it was determined that nearly 20% of HEV clinical isolates from Wuhan belong to genotype IV.

Base Sequence ; Genotype ; Hepatitis E ; epidemiology ; virology ; Hepatitis E virus ; genetics ; Humans ; Open Reading Frames ; Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid