Prevalence of Hepatitis E Virus Infection among Blood Donors in a Tertiary Healthcare Facility in Osun State, Nigeria

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is currently the most common cause of viral hepatitis in developing countries. While prospective blood donors are routinely screened for HIV, Hepatitis B and C globally in endemic areas, HEV is not included in the protocol, despite the increase in global prevalence of HEV. Till date, only a handful of studies exist on the prevalence of HEV in Nigeria. The aim of this study was to fill this knowledge gap by determining the prevalence of HEV among blood donors at the LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, Osun State, Nigeria. A total of 102 consenting individuals were enrolled into the study between ages 20 and 55. A volume of 5ml blood sample was collected, and the serum harvested, stored at 20°C until ready for analysis. A double antibody sandwich HEV ELISA was performed to analyze the sera in duplicate for HEV antigen, using an ELISA Kit. Of the 102 samples analyzed, 15 (14.7%) tested positive for HEV antigen, confirming the presence of HEV infection among blood donors in the study population.

There was significant association between HEV seropositivity and contact with animals (P=0.010) and alcohol consumption (P=0.000), which means there was a higher chance of donors who consumed alcohol or have had contact with animals to get infected with HEV. However, age, educational status, occupation and gender did not show any statistically significant association with HEV infection. The prevalence of HEV seropositivity was high (14.7%) and a cause for concern as HEV continues to be a major public health issue especially in developing countries.