Framework
Cases of sporadic, locally acquired hepatitis caused by the hepatitis E virus (HEV) have been increasingly identified in industrialized countries over the last few years (Kamar et al, 2012) such as EUA and Europe, and including Portugal (Mesquita et al, 2013; Santos et al, 2014). In these countries, hepatitis E is thought to be a zoonotic infection, with pigs as the primary host of the virus. Consumption of uncooked or lightly cooked pork, wild boar and deer meat products is thought to be a major route of infection, and occupational exposure to pigs by veterinarians and other animal workers have been pointed out as risk factors (Chaussade et al, 2013). However other routes of transmission have been documented (Scobie & Dalton, 2013) such as transplantation of HEV-infected donor liver (Schlosser et al, 2012) and transfusion of HEV-contaminated blood products (Boxall et al, 2006; Colson et al, 2007; Matsubayashi et al, 2004; Matsubayashi et al, 2008). Blood donors can be silently infected with HEV, as indicated by plasma pools testing positive for HEV RNA in Germany (Baylis et al, 2012) and by a high prevalence of antibodies to HEV among blood donors in several European countries such as France (Mansuy et al, 2011), Netherlands (Slot el al, 2013) and Germany (Juhl et al, 2014).
Porcine-derived pharmaceutical products have been very recently suggested as a potential non-traditional alternative route for HEV infection (Crossan et al, 2013), however further investigation is needed to exclude these possibility and assure the safety of these products.
Main Goals
- To study the seroprevalence of HEV in Portuguese population;
- To assess the risk of butchers and slaughterhouse workers in Portugal to HEV infection throughout their seroprevelance;
- To search for silent HEV infection in Portuguese blood donors in order to promote the safety in blood transfusion;
- To evaluate the risk of porcine-derived pharmaceutical products as potential sources of HEV infection.
Cases of sporadic, locally acquired hepatitis caused by the hepatitis E virus (HEV) have been increasingly identified in industrialized countries over the last few years (Kamar et al, 2012) such as EUA and Europe, and including Portugal (Mesquita et al, 2013; Santos et al, 2014). In these countries, hepatitis E is thought to be a zoonotic infection, with pigs as the primary host of the virus. Consumption of uncooked or lightly cooked pork, wild boar and deer meat products is thought to be a major route of infection, and occupational exposure to pigs by veterinarians and other animal workers have been pointed out as risk factors (Chaussade et al, 2013). However other routes of transmission have been documented (Scobie & Dalton, 2013) such as transplantation of HEV-infected donor liver (Schlosser et al, 2012) and transfusion of HEV-contaminated blood products (Boxall et al, 2006; Colson et al, 2007; Matsubayashi et al, 2004; Matsubayashi et al, 2008). Blood donors can be silently infected with HEV, as indicated by plasma pools testing positive for HEV RNA in Germany (Baylis et al, 2012) and by a high prevalence of antibodies to HEV among blood donors in several European countries such as France (Mansuy et al, 2011), Netherlands (Slot el al, 2013) and Germany (Juhl et al, 2014).
Porcine-derived pharmaceutical products have been very recently suggested as a potential non-traditional alternative route for HEV infection (Crossan et al, 2013), however further investigation is needed to exclude these possibility and assure the safety of these products.
Main Goals
- To study the seroprevalence of HEV in Portuguese population;
- To assess the risk of butchers and slaughterhouse workers in Portugal to HEV infection throughout their seroprevelance;
- To search for silent HEV infection in Portuguese blood donors in order to promote the safety in blood transfusion;
- To evaluate the risk of porcine-derived pharmaceutical products as potential sources of HEV infection.