[Seroprevalence of hepatitis E in The Netherlands]

At serological testing of 269 blood samples from patients sent in for hepatitis diagnostics and of 275 randomly selected samples from blood donors from all over the Netherlands, eight and five samples, respectively, were found to contain a positive antibody titre against hepatitis E virus (HEV). Follow-up samples could be obtained from three patients: in one patient the anti-HEV IgG titre remained unchanged over a period of 6 months, in one other the titre fell below the limit of detection and in the third, the titre increased in a period of 2 weeks. This patient had developed jaundice after a stay in Bangladesh. It is possible that in some patients, hepatitis E is mistaken for hepatitis A.