Case–Control Study of Risk Factors for Acquired Hepatitis E Virus Infections in Blood Donors,United Kingdom, 2018–2019 |
| |
| Authors: | Iona Smith Bengü Said Aisling Vaughan Becky Haywood Samreen Ijaz Claire Reynolds Su Brailsford Katherine Russell Dilys Morgan |
| |
| Institution: | Public Health England, London, UK (I. Smith, B. Said, A. Vaughan, B. Haywood, S. Ijaz, C. Reynolds, S. Brailsford, K. Russell, D. Morgan);National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Emerging and Zoonotic Infections, Liverpool, UK (I. Smith) |
| |
| Abstract: | Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is the most common cause of acute viral hepatitis in England. Substantial yearly increases of autochthonous infections were observed during 2003–2016 and again during 2017–2019. Previous studies associated acute HEV cases with consumption of processed pork products, we investigated risk factors for autochthonous HEV infections in the blood donor population in England. Study participants were 117 HEV RNA–positive blood donors and 564 HEV RNA–negative blood donors. No persons with positive results were vegetarian; 97.4% of persons with positive results reported eating pork products. Consuming bacon (OR 3.0, 95% CI 1.7–5.5; p<0.0001), cured pork meats (OR 3.5, 95% CI 2.2–5.4; p<0.0001), and pigs’ liver (OR 2.9, 95% CI 1.0–8.3; p = 0.04) were significantly associated with HEV infection. Our findings confirm previous links to pork products and suggest that appropriate animal husbandry is essential to reduce the risk for HEV infection. |
| |
| Keywords: | HEV hepatitis E virus blood donation blood-borne infections food-borne infections hepatitis hepatitis E surveillance viral infections viruses zoonotic infections zoonoses United Kingdom food safety |
|
|
