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Abstract

Introduction

Hepatitis E virus (HEV), the most common cause of acute hepatitis in many European countries, is transmitted through consumption of processed pork but also via blood transfusion and transplantation. HEV infection can become persistent in immunocompromised individuals.

Aim

We aimed to determine the incidence and epidemiology of HEV infection in English blood donors since the introduction of donation screening in 2016.

Methods

Between March 2016 and December 2017, 1,838,747 blood donations were screened for HEV RNA. Donations containing HEV RNA were further tested for serological markers, RNA quantification and viral phylogeny. Demographics, travel and diet history were analysed for all infected donors.

Results

We identified 480 HEV RNA-positive blood donations during the 22-month period, most (319/480; 66%) donors were seronegative. Viral loads ranged from 1 to 3,230,000 IU/ml. All sequences belonged to genotype 3, except one which likely represents a new genotype. Most viraemic donors were over 45 years of age (279/480; 58%), donors aged between 17 and 24 years had a seven-times higher incidence of HEV infection than other donors between March and June 2016 (1:544 donations vs 1:3,830). HEV-infected blood donors were evenly distributed throughout England. Screening prevented 480 HEV RNA-positive blood donations from reaching clinical supply.

Conclusion

HEV screening of blood donations is a vital step in order to provide safer blood for all recipients, but especially for the immunosuppressed. The unusually high rates of HEV infection in young blood donors may provide some insight into specific risks associated with HEV infection in England.

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2019.24.10.1800386
2019-03-07
2024-04-25
http://instance.metastore.ingenta.com/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2019.24.10.1800386
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Hepatitis E virus in blood donors in England, 2016 to 2017: from selective to universal screening
<p class="citation"> <span>Citation style for this article:</span> <span class="meta-value authors"> <a href="/search?value1=Heli+Harvala&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Harvala Heli</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Patricia+E+Hewitt&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Hewitt Patricia E</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Claire+Reynolds&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Reynolds Claire</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Callum+Pearson&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Pearson Callum</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Becky+Haywood&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Haywood Becky</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Kate+I+Tettmar&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Tettmar Kate I</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Ines+Ushiro-Lumb&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Ushiro-Lumb Ines</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Susan+R+Brailsford&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Brailsford Susan R</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Richard+Tedder&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Tedder Richard</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Samreen+Ijaz&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Ijaz Samreen</a></span>. Hepatitis E virus in blood donors in England, 2016 to 2017: from selective to universal screening. <a href="/content/ecdc">Euro Surveill.</a> 2019;24(10):pii=1800386. <a href="https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2019.24.10.1800386" title="doi link" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2019.24.10.1800386</a> <span class="ES_Article_citation"> <span class="generated">Received</span>: 13 Jul 2018;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span class="generated">Accepted</span>: 12 Dec 2018 </span> </p>
/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2019.24.10.1800386
/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2019.24.10.1800386
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