Seroprevalence of hepatitis E virus among blood donors in eastern Algeria

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is recognized worldwide as the leading cause of orofecal-transmitted hepatitis. However, blood transmission has been increasingly implicated in recent years raising health concerns. In Algeria, updated prevalence data are lacking. We aimed to determine the prevalence of anti-HEV antibodies in the sera of volunteer blood donors from the Setif region in eastern Algeria. A total of 434 Samples were analyzed for anti-HEV IgG and IgM antibodies using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (Wantai). Logistic regression modelling was used to identify associated risk factors. The IgG seroprevalence rate was 17.05%. Seven sera (0.16%) were weakly positive for IgM. No HEV RNA was detected. The IgG prevalence was significantly correlated with increasing age (p < 1p.1000). Our data demonstrate a relatively high prevalence of anti-HEV IgG, indicating a possible risk of HEV blood transmission which requires vireamic seroprevalence studies to assess the real risk.