[Serological antibodies comparison of a hepatitis E outbreak]

Area of Science:

• Virology
• Immunology
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Hepatitis E virus (HEV) outbreaks pose significant public health challenges.
• Accurate serological markers are crucial for timely diagnosis and outbreak management.
• Existing diagnostic methods may have limitations in sensitivity and specificity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the serological characteristics of a hepatitis E outbreak.
• To evaluate the diagnostic performance, specifically sensitivity and specificity, of anti-HEV E2-IgM.
• To assess the utility of anti-HEV E2-IgM in distinguishing infected from non-infected individuals during an outbreak.

Main Methods:

• Sera from employees in an outbreak unit and a control group were tested for anti-HEV E2-IgM and IgG.
• Results from anti-HEV E2-IgM, anti-HEV E2-IgG, and Genelab anti-HEV IgM/IgG were compared.
• Statistical analysis was performed to determine specificity, sensitivity, and significant differences between groups.

Main Results:

• Anti-HEV E2-IgM demonstrated high specificity (approx. 99.89%) with a low positive rate (0.11%) in the control group.
• The positive rate of anti-HEV E2-IgM was significantly higher (8.66%) in the outbreak population compared to controls (P < 0.001).
• Anti-HEV E2-IgM showed 25-30% higher sensitivity for acute hepatitis E infection compared to Genelab assays, with potential for misdiagnosis (23.48%) when relying solely on other markers.

Conclusions:

• Anti-HEV E2-IgM is a valuable serological marker with high specificity and low false positive rates for hepatitis E.
• It offers superior sensitivity in detecting acute hepatitis E infection compared to other commonly used assays.
• Anti-HEV E2-IgM effectively differentiates infected individuals, aids in understanding outbreak dynamics, and is crucial for early diagnosis and control of hepatitis E outbreaks.