Hepatitis E virus infection among sheep workers

Objective To explore hepatitis E virus infection and its related risk factors among sheep workers.Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted.Serum samples from 83 workers in a live sheep market were obtained and tested for anti-HEV IgG by indirect ELISA.The Chi-Square Test was used to evaluate the difference between different proportions.Results The total positive rate of anti-HEV IgG was 39.8%.The positive rate of anti-HEV IgG was 29.5% in the 15～35 year old age group,and 51.3% in the 36～57 year old age group.The difference was statistically significant(χ2=4.0784,P=0.0434).There were no statistically significant differences in the positive rate of anti-HEV IgG between males and females,Cantoneses and non-Cantonese,workers with 1 year of experience,1-4 years of experience and ≥5 years of experience.Conclusion Hepatitis E virus infection does exist among sheep workers.Further studies are warranted.