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Seroprevalence of hepatitis E virus (HEV) in a general adult population in Northern Norway: the Tromsø study

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A Correction to this article was published on 22 June 2019

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Abstract

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a major cause of acute viral hepatitis in many parts of the world but only a few cases have been diagnosed in Norway. To investigate the HEV exposure rate in a presumed low-risk area, we have conducted a population-based study of anti-HEV IgG seroprevalence in Northern Norway. A total of 1800 serum samples from 900 women and 900 men, age 40–79 years, were randomly selected from the 21,083 participants in the 7th Tromsø Study, representing the 32,591 inhabitants of the Tromsø municipality that were ≥ 40 years. All samples were analyzed by ELISA-1 (recomWell HEV IgG). Samples testing positive or borderline, as well as a 1.5-fold excess of negative samples, were retested by ELISA-2 (DiaPro HEV IgG). If still borderline or a result discordant from ELISA-1, the sample was retested by ELISA-3 (Wantai HEV IgG) and strip-immunoassay (recomLine HEV IgG). Anti-HEV IgG was detected in 205 individuals (11.4%), yielding an estimated seroprevalence of 10.4% in the age-matched population of Tromsø. Using logistic regression analysis followed by multivariable backward elimination analysis, increasing age (OR 1.036 per year; p < 0.001) and higher education (OR 2.167; p < 0.001) were found as potential risk factors, whereas travel abroad or eating of red meat were not. Our results indicate that HEV-infection is common in Northern Norway and suggest that HEV testing should be included in the evaluation of elevated liver enzymes.

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  • 22 June 2019

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to all of the participants in the 7th Tromsø Study for their willingness to participate in the study and to Professor Tom Wilsgaard at Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, for selecting randomized samples for our study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbiology and Infection Control, University Hospital of North Norway, Tromsø, Norway

    Irene Beate Olsøy, Stian Henriksen & Christine Hanssen Rinaldo

  2. Metabolic and Renal Research Group, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway

    Stian Henriksen, Karoline Borgen & Christine Hanssen Rinaldo

  3. Transplantation and Clinical Virology, Department Biomedicine (Haus Petersplatz), University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland

    Fabian H. Weissbach & Hans H. Hirsch

  4. Department of Clinical Research, University Hospital of North Norway, Tromsø, Norway

    Marthe Larsen

  5. Centre de Physiopathologie de Toulouse Purpan, Inserm, U1043, Toulouse, France

    Florence Abravanel & Nassim Kamar

  6. Laboratoire de virologie, Centre national de référence du virus de l’hépatite E, Hôpital Purpan, CHU Toulouse, Toulouse, France

    Florence Abravanel

  7. Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France

    Florence Abravanel & Nassim Kamar

  8. Department of Nephrology and Organ Transplantation, CHU Rangueil, Toulouse, France

    Nassim Kamar

  9. Gastroenterology and Nutrition Research Group, Department of Clinical Medicine, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway

    Eyvind J. Paulssen

  10. Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Gastroenterology, University Hospital of North Norway, Tromsø, Norway

    Eyvind J. Paulssen

  11. Clinical Virology, Laboratory Medicine, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland

    Hans H. Hirsch

  12. Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland

    Hans H. Hirsch

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  1. Irene Beate Olsøy
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  2. Stian Henriksen
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  6. Florence Abravanel
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  7. Nassim Kamar
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  10. Christine Hanssen Rinaldo
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Correspondence to Christine Hanssen Rinaldo.

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Olsøy, I.B., Henriksen, S., Weissbach, F.H. et al. Seroprevalence of hepatitis E virus (HEV) in a general adult population in Northern Norway: the Tromsø study. Med Microbiol Immunol 208, 715–725 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00430-019-00599-5

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