[Incidence of hepatitis E in Austria]

Area of Science:

• Hepatology
• Immunology
• Infectious Diseases

Background:

• Hepatitis E is a significant global health concern.
• Accurate serological diagnostics are crucial for understanding hepatitis E epidemiology.
• Previous hepatitis A, B, and C infections were excluded in the study cohort.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a newly developed Abbott Enzyme immunoassay (EIA) for detecting IgG antibodies to hepatitis E.
• To determine the prevalence of hepatitis E antibodies in a patient population in Austria.
• To investigate potential cases of hepatitis E in individuals without travel history to endemic areas.

Main Methods:

• Sera from 1274 patients were tested using the Abbott EIA for hepatitis E IgG antibodies.
• Patients were categorized into those with hepatitis (n=180) and others (n=1094).
• The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) cut-off value was adjusted higher than recommended by the manufacturer.

Main Results:

• The adjusted EIA identified hepatitis E IgG antibodies in 15 (8.3%) hepatitis patients and 25 (2.3%) non-hepatitis patients.
• Of 12 patients with epidemiological data, 7 had traveled to hepatitis E endemic regions.
• Five Austrian patients tested positive despite no travel history to endemic areas.

Conclusions:

• The Abbott EIA shows potential for detecting hepatitis E IgG antibodies.
• The adjusted cut-off value may improve specificity.
• Positive results in non-traveling Austrians warrant further investigation into local hepatitis E occurrence or potential assay non-specificity.