A nationwide survey for prevalence of hepatitis E virus antibody in qualified blood donors in Japan.

摘要

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: In previous studies, we reported the transmission of hepatitis E virus (HEV) by transfusion, and the frequent detection of HEV markers in Japanese blood donors with elevated ALT levels. For the current study, we carried out a nationwide survey of the prevalence of IgG anti-HEV in qualified blood donors throughout Japan. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The 12,600 samples from qualified blood donors were collected from seven blood centres (1800 per centre) representing nearly all regions of Japan. Samples were from age- and sex-matched blood donors who tested negative for all the current blood screening tests. The samples were screened using the in-house IgG anti-HEV ELISA. Sequentially, the positive samples were tested by the commercial IgG anti-HEV ELISA. RESULTS: Of 12,600 samples, 431 (3.4%) were regarded as positive for IgG anti-HEV. The prevalence of IgG anti-HEV was higher in eastern Japan (5.6%) than in western Japan (1.8%) (P<0.001), and was also age-dependent and higher in men (3.9%) than in women (2.9%) (P=0.002). CONCLUSION: The spread of the domestic infection of HEV was observed in qualified blood donors in Japan. A higher prevalence of IgG anti-HEV was observed in male donors, older donors and in donors residing in eastern Japan. Further studies are necessary to clarify the potential risk of transfusion-transmission of HEV in Japan.