Racial differences in seroprevalence of HAV and HEV in blood donors in the Western Cape, South Africa: a clue to the predominant HEV genotype?
Epidemiology and Infection·
- DOI
- 10.1017/s0950268817000565
- PMID
- 28357965
- PMCID
- PMC9203323
- OpenAlex
- W2603342864
- Study type
- Journal article
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press (CUP)
- Article type
- journal-article
- Integrity
- current
Why this research matters now
The findings suggest that HEV transmission in this population may differ from the classical oro-faecal route associated with genotypes 1 and 2, potentially reflecting zoonotic transmission via dietary meat consumption and socio-economic differences. Understanding transmission routes is important for prevention strategies.
Structured evidence summary
Research question
The study examined seroprevalence of hepatitis E virus and hepatitis A virus antibodies among blood donors in the Western Cape, South Africa, to explore whether the pattern might indicate the predominant HEV genotype circulating in the region.
Study design
Seroprevalence survey measuring anti-HEV and anti-HAV antibodies in 300 blood donors.
Population and setting
Blood donors in the Western Cape, South Africa, stratified by race (100 mixed race, 100 white, and 100 black donors).
Main findings
Anti-HAV was detected in 61% of donors. Anti-HEV was found in 26% overall, with the highest prevalence in mixed race donors (62%), followed by white donors (23%), and lowest in black donors (19%). The divergence between HAV and HEV seroprevalence patterns was unexpected if both were acquired by the same oro-faecal route.
Public-health relevance
The findings suggest that HEV transmission in this population may differ from the classical oro-faecal route associated with genotypes 1 and 2, potentially reflecting zoonotic transmission via dietary meat consumption and socio-economic differences. Understanding transmission routes is important for prevention strategies.
Important limitations
The authors note that further data are needed to explore risk factors associated with HEV infection. This summary is limited to the supplied single-article abstract and metadata; the original paper is required for decision-grade interpretation of serological methods, sampling strategy, and confounding variables.
GIDS interpretation
The article was classified under Hepatitis A, Hepatitis E, and Gastroenteritis for South Africa, with tags for One Health, Outbreak investigation, and Transmission dynamics. These links aid discoverability in the context of viral hepatitis epidemiology and zoonotic transmission research in southern Africa.
Related GIDS surveillance
Literature context does not validate, explain, or change a surveillance signal. Exact and contextual relationships are shown separately.
Evidence relationships
This article has 10 auditable classifier relationships to diseases, places, topics, and study design.