Abstract
Background The incidence of autochthonous hepatitis E virus genotype 3 (HEV gt3) infections in Western Europe is high. Although pigs are a major reservoir of the virus, the exact sources and transmission route(s) of HEV gt3 to humans remain unclear. Methods To determine the role of meat consumption at a population level, the seroprevalence of anti- HEV IgG antibodies was compared between Dutch blood donors with a vegetarian lifestyle and donors who consume meat on a daily basis. Results The age-weighted anti-HEV IgG seroprevalence among donors not eating meat was significantly lower than among meat-eating donors (12.4% vs 20.5%, p = 0.002). For both groups the prevalence strongly increased with age and the difference in prevalence was apparent for all age groups. Conclusions Compared with meat-eating donors, the incidence of HEV infection is significantly lower among donors not eating meat, indicating that meat consumption is a major risk factor for HEV infection.
Original language | English |
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Article number | e0176414 |
Pages (from-to) | e0176414 |
Journal | PLOS ONE |
Volume | 12 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Apr 2017 |