[Biological diagnosis of hepatitis e. Completion of a test for detection of infected patients]

The aim of this study is to set up a biological method for diagnosing hepatitis E using an immunoenzymatic technique. This technic attaches specific IgM of a monkey experimentally infected with the Hepatitis E virus to a solid phase. These antibodies capture the HEV antigen (AgHEV) present in the stools of patients with hepatitis E. Antigen was then revealed using purified and labelled IgG from the same monkey. Using this method, we were able to: prove the existence of sporadic cases of hepatitis E in Dakar, biologically confirm the diagnosis of hepatitis E in 53.33% of patients suffering from hepatitis during an epidemic in Constantine and in 26.3% of patients in Bangkok who contracted oral-fecal transmitted hepatitis. Confirmation by inhibition and control reactions demonstrated the specificity of this test and its usefulness as a tool for the biological diagnosis of hepatitis E.