Evaluation of two anti-hepatitis E virus IgM kits

Objective To evaluate two commercial anti-hepatitis E virus (HEV) IgM kits used for differential diagnosis of acute enteric viral hepatitis. Methods The kit for IgM capture assay, was produced with a recombinant HEV structural protein protecting primates against experimental infection by different HEV genotypes, while the other kit for indirect ELISA was produced with recombinant structural proteins from different HEV genotypes. The serum specimens were taken from 241cases with a confirmed or presumptive diagnosis of hepatitis A and 74 cases with a confirmed or presumptive diagnosis of hepatitis E. Results The sensitivity and specificity of the IgM capture assay kit were 97% and 100%, respectively, and the corresponding values for the other kit were 70% and 78%, respectively. Conclusion The IgM capture assay kit has higher sensitivity and specificity in diagnosing acute enteric viral hepatitis E.