Hepatitis E virus RNA in Australian blood donations

Area of Science:

• Virology
• Transfusion Medicine
• Public Health

Background:

• Hepatitis E virus (HEV) poses a potential risk to transfusion safety.
• HEV infections in Australia are primarily linked to travelers from endemic regions.
• The prevalence of HEV in Australian blood donations was previously unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the rate of current Hepatitis E virus infection in Australian blood donations.
• To assess the risk of HEV transmission through blood transfusion in Australia.

Main Methods:

• Screening of 14,799 Australian blood donations for HEV RNA using transcription-mediated amplification.
• Confirmatory testing via reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction.
• Viral load quantification and phylogenetic analysis of positive samples.

Main Results:

• One donation (0.0068%) tested positive for HEV RNA, representing a risk of 1 in 14,799 donations.
• The positive sample contained approximately 15,000 IU/mL of HEV RNA and was identified as Genotype 3.
• The observed HEV RNA rate is lower than in many other developed countries.

Conclusions:

• The risk of HEV RNA in Australian blood donations is low, estimated at 1 in 14,799.
• The identified Genotype 3 suggests potential zoonotic transmission.
• While the risk appears low, further research is necessary to accurately quantify the transfusion safety risk posed by HEV in Australia.