Seroprevalence of hepatitis E virus among blood donors in tertiary care center of north Gujarat

Introduction: Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a RNA virus having single strand and spread mainly through contaminated water and food as well as through parenteral route. Very few study has been carried out in India in general public as well as voluntary blood donor to determine HEV prevalence. The prevalence of anti-HEV in India is limited and the results differ depending on the type of population, location and serological test used in the studies. Materials and Methods: Samples from 1345 voluntary blood donations were tested in the period between November 2014 to December 2017. Samples were tested for the presence of antibody against HEV. Results: The study population which composed of 1280 male & 65 Female voluntary blood donors. Age of study group ranged from 18 to 60 years with a mean age of 32.48 years. Overall, the harmony among the three ELISA was 92.6% corresponding to a prevalence rate of 2.75% (37/1345). The lowest anti-HEV antibody prevalence values were seen in the younger age groups while the highest prevalence rates were found in the higher age group. No significant variation in anti-HEV antibody prevalence was noticed between genders. Conclusion: Although hepatitis E is transmitted by fecoral route, seroprevalence of anti-HEV antibody among blood donors need to be addressed using available ELISA test or Polymerase chain reaction. Blood banks in India and other developing country should consider screening for HEV, especially when blood transfusion is given to patients with low immunity or women having pregnanacy.