Обнаружение антител к вирусу гепатита е среди жителей Белгородской области

Detection of antibodies to hepatitis E (anti-HEV) indicates previous exposure to hepatitis E virus (HEV). Antibody detection and notification rate give evidence of spread of infection in a particular area. In Russia in 2011-2013, the highest number of cases of hepatitis E (HepE) was observed in the Belgorod region. Due to this observation, the aim of our study was to determine the prevalence of anti-HEV (IgG and IgM) among residents of some areas of the Belgorod region and to correlate the results with the number of reported cases of HepE, as well as with the frequency of detection of HEV RNA in pigs kept on pig farms in Belgorod region. In the study of 2482 sera from healthy population anti-HEV antibodies were detected in 13.42 %, with variations by region from 4.0 to 19.2%. We have not found a direct relationship between the number of hepE cases and the prevalence of anti-HEV (p ≥ 0,5). Given the zoonotic nature of hepE, we studied the prevalence of HEV RNA in pigs on farms located in three areas of the region. Comparison of the data on prevalence of HEV infection in animals and detection rate of anti-HEV in the population of these districts also revealed no relationship between these parameters. High prevalence of hepE markers in Belgorod region suggests intensive HEV circulation. HEV transmission routes and factors need further investigations.