Boon D, Redd AD, Laeyendecker O, Engle RE, Nguyen H, Ocama P, Boaz I, Ndyanabo A, Kiggundu V, Reynolds SJ, Gray RH, Wawer MJ, Purcell RH, Kirk GD, Quinn TC, Stabinski L.
J Infect Dis. 2018;217(5):785-9.
Abstract
A cross-sectional study was conducted of 500 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected adults frequency matched on age, sex, and community to 500 HIV-uninfected individuals in the Rakai District, Uganda to evaluate seroprevalence of anti-hepatitis E virus (HEV) IgG antibodies. HEV seroprevalence was 47%, and 1 HIV-infected individual was actively infected with a genotype 3 virus. Using modified Poisson regression, male sex (prevalence ratios [PR] = 1.247; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.071-1.450) and chronic hepatitis B virus infection (PR = 1.377; 95% CI, 1.090-1.738) were associated with HEV seroprevalence. HIV infection status (PR = 0.973; 95% CI, 0.852-1.111) was not associated with HEV seroprevalence. These data suggest there is a large burden of prior exposure to HEV in rural Uganda.