ArticleBMC infectious diseases2016
Hepatitis E virus seroepidemiology: a post-earthquake study among blood donors in Nepal.
Article in BMC infectious diseases, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 22 citations in OpenAlex.
- Seroprevalence of hepatitis E in general, hepatic, and pregnant populations in Nepal, Bangladesh, and Pakistan: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Virology journal · 2025Pooled it
- Hepatitis E virus (HEV) as an emerging challenge in Poland: a narrative review of epidemiological and clinical data.Archives of medical science : AMS · 2026Article
- Serological and molecular characterization of hepatitis E virus and co-infections during the 2014 Biratnagar outbreak in Nepal.BMC infectious diseases · 2025Article
- Infections among adults hospitalized in intensive care after the 2023 earthquake in the southeastern part of Türkiye: a multi-center observational study.BMC infectious diseases · 2025Observational
- Geospatial distribution of Hepatitis E seroprevalence in Nepal, 2021.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2024Article
- Hepatitis E virus in the Kathmandu Valley: Insights from a representative longitudinal serosurvey.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2024Article
- Assessment of Hepatitis E virus transmission risks: a comprehensive review of cases among blood transfusion recipients and blood donors.Infection ecology & epidemiology · 2024Review
- Higher Risk of HEV Transmission and Exposure among Blood Donors in Europe and Asia in Comparison to North America: A Meta-Analysis.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Transfusion-transmitted hepatitis E: What we know so far?World journal of gastroenterology · 2022Review
- Setting a Course for Preventing Hepatitis E in Low and Lower-Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review of Burden and Risk Factors.Open forum infectious diseases · 2021Article
- Article
- Comprehensive Evaluation of Hepatitis E Serology and Molecular Testing in a Large Cohort.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2020Article
- Transmission and Epidemiology of Hepatitis E Virus Genotype 3 and 4 Infections.Cold Spring Harbor perspectives in medicine · 2018Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAs one of the causative agents of viral hepatitis, hepatitis E virus (HEV) has gained public health attention globally. HEV epidemics occur in developing countries, associated with faecal contamination of water and poor sanitation. In industrialised nations, HEV infections are associated with travel to countries endemic for HEV, however, autochthonous infections, mainly through zoonotic transmission, are increasingly being reported. HEV can also be transmitted by blood transfusion. Nepal has experienced a number of HEV outbreaks, and recent earthquakes resulted in predictions raising the risk of an HEV outbreak to very high. This study aimed to measure HEV exposure in Nepalese blood donors after large earthquakes.
methodsSamples (n = 1,845) were collected from blood donors from Kathmandu, Chitwan, Bhaktapur and Kavre. Demographic details, including age and sex along with possible risk factors associated with HEV exposure were collected via a study-specific questionnaire. Samples were tested for HEV IgM, IgG and antigen. The proportion of donors positive for HEV IgM or IgG was calculated overall, and for each of the variables studied. Chi square and regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with HEV exposure.
resultsOf the donors residing in earthquake affected regions (Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Kavre), 3.2% (54/1,686; 95% CI 2.7-4.0%) were HEV IgM positive and two donors were positive for HEV antigen. Overall, 41.9% (773/1,845; 95% CI 39.7-44.2%) of donors were HEV IgG positive, with regional variation observed. Higher HEV IgG and IgM prevalence was observed in donors who reported eating pork, likely an indicator of zoonotic transmission. Previous exposure to HEV in Nepalese blood donors is relatively high.
conclusionDetection of recent markers of HEV infection in healthy donors suggests recent asymptomatic HEV infection and therefore transfusion-transmission in vulnerable patients is a risk in Nepal. Surprisingly, this study did not provide evidence of a large HEV outbreak following the devastating earthquakes in 2015.
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