Seroprevalence and risk factors of Hepatitis E infection in Jordan's population: First report.

Objectives: Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is hyperendemic in many countries, but data on this virus are not available in Jordan. This study determined the seroprevalence, risk factors and zoonotic potential of HEV in a Jordanian population.

Methods: A total of 450 sera samples from 8 different governorates were tested for HEV-IgG. A pre-tested and validated questionnaire was used to collect risk factor data including animal interaction and environmental exposures.

Results: The overall seroprevalence was 30.9%. Eating undercooked meat was significantly associated with HEV seropositivity (OR=2.06, 95%CI 1.04-4.06) after controlling for age, gender, travel history and source of water. Age was also associated with HEV seropositivity; the youngest (≤14 years of age) and oldest age groups (60 and 80 years of age) had the highest prevalence (45.5% and 53.2%, respectively), compared to those between 20 to 29 years of age and 30 to 39 years of age (20.2 and 15.2%, respectively), although the small sample size among the youngest group tempers this association. There was evidence of a marginal association between owning camels and an increased odds of HEV seropositivity. Place of residence and source of drinking water were not associated with infection.

Conclusion: This is the first study to report HEV seroprevalence in Jordan and shows that HEV exposure is high in Jordan. Surveillance for acute and chronic Hepatitis E is needed to estimate the frequency of the actual disease.