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Table 1 Seroprevalence of anti-HEV antibodies in Africa

From: A systematic review of the epidemiology of hepatitis E virus in Africa

Country

% sero-prevalence

Sample demographics

Sample size

Year of sampling

Diagnostic methods

Source

Burkina Faso

19.1

Blood donors

178

2010-12

IgG

[29]

11.6

Pregnant women

189

2010-12

IgG

[29]

Burundi

14.0

Adults without chronic liver disease, 44.7 yrs old (±13.5)

129

1986

Total Ig

[30]

Cameroon

14.2

HIV-infected adults, 38.1 yrs old (±11.3)

289

2009-10

IgG

[32]

2.0

HIV-infected children, 8.3 yrs old (±7.5)

100

2009-10

IgG

[32]

CARa

24.2

Patients attending the center for sexually transmitted diseases

157

1995b

Total Ig

[33]

Djibouti

13.0

Male peacekeepers in Haiti, 31.2 yrs old

112

1998b

Total Ig

[42]

Egypt

84.3

Pregnant women, 24 yrs old (16–48)

2,428

1997-2003

Total Ig

[55]

 

80.1

Patients with chronic liver disease, 48 yrs old (23–62)

518

2000-2

IgG

[57]

 

67.6

Residents of two rural villages, 24.5 and 26.5 yrs, respectively

10,156

1997

Total Ig

[54]

 

58.6

Pregnant women, ~33 yrs old

116

2009

IgG

[58]

 

56.4

Residents of a semi-urban village, 1–67 yrs old

140

1993

Total Ig

[51]

 

51.2

Waste water treatment plant workers, 47.1 yrs old

43

2011b

Total Ig

[60]

 

50.6

Waste water treatment plant workers, 20–60 yrs old

233

2000b

Total Ig

[61]

 

45.3

Blood donors, 18–45 yrs old

95

1998b

IgG

[52]

 

54.1

Four waste water treatment plant male workers, 20–60 yrs old

205

1998-9

IgG

[116]

 

39.6

Haemodialysis patients, 8–20 yrs old

96

1998b

IgG

[52]

 

38.9

Healthy females, 21.8 yrs old (16–25)

95

1995

IgG

[50]

 

17.2

Residents of a hamlet, 20.9 yrs old (<1-95)

1259

1992

IgG

[49]

 

0.0

Healthy controls, 20–60 yrs old

96

1998-9

IgG

[116]

Gabon

14.2

Pregnant women, 24.6 yrs old (14–44)

840

2005, 2007

IgG

[73]

 

0.0

Villagers, 29 yrs old (2–80)

35

1991-2

Total Ig

[72]

Ghana

45.3

Adult HIV patients (n = 402), 40 yrs old (±9.6)

402

2008-10

IgG

[32]

 

38.1

Pig handlers, 36.5 yrs old (12–65)

105

2009b

Total Ig

[77]

 

34.8

Pig handlers, 32.9 yrs old (15–70)

353

2008

Total Ig

[75]

 

28.7

Pregnant women, 28.9 yrs old (13–42)

157

2008

Total Ig

[78]

 

4.6

Blood donors

239

2012b

IgG

[76]

 

4.4

6-18 yr olds

803

1993

Total Ig

[74]

Madagascar

14.1

Slaughterhouse workers

427

2008-9

Total Ig

[81]

Morocco

8.5

Blood donors

200

2000-1

IgG

[85]

 

2.2

232 men and 259 women, 27.7 yrs old (±5.9)

491

1995b

IgG

[84]

Nigeria

43.0

Health care workers

88

2008-9

Total Ig

[90]

 

94.0

Control healthy adults

44

2008-9

Total Ig

[90]

 

13.4

Healthy and sick people, 29.8 yrs old (3–72)

186

2007

Total Ig

[91]

South Africa

10.7

Urban (n = 407) and rural (n = 360) blacks, 42.4 yrs old (18–85)

767

1996b

Total Ig

[98, 117]

 

2.6

Medical students

227

1992

Total Ig

[97]

 

1.8

Canoeists who have been regularly exposed to waste water

555

1992

Total Ig

[97]

Tanzania

6.6

Women, 32.1 yrs old (15–45)

212

1996

Total Ig

[114]

 

0.2

Healthy adults, 30.3 yrs old

403

1992

Total Ig

[112]

 

0.0

Women, 24.5 yrs old

180

1995

Total Ig

[113]

Tunisia

46.0

Healthy persons, > 60 yrs old

100

1991

IgG

[106]

 

29.5

Children with chronic haematological diseases

34

1996

IgG

[106]

 

28.9

Polytransfused patients; adults (n = 59, 34.8 yrs old (20–61)) and children (n = 48, 7.3 yrs old (1–15))

107

2008-9

IgG

[107]

 

22.0

Healthy blood donors, < 40 yrs old

100

1996

IgG

[106]

 

12.1

Pregnant women, 30.1 yrs old (17–52)

404

2008-9

IgG

[108]

 

10.0

Healthy controls; blood donors (n = 100, 31.3 yrs old (20–58)) and children, (n = 60, 7.9 yrs old (1–15))

160

2008-9

IgG

[107]

 

5.4

Blood donors, 32.6 yrs old (±8.6)

687

2007-8

Total Ig

[109]

 

4.3

Healthy persons, 20.7 yrs old (16–25)

1,505

2008b

IgG

[110]

Zambia

42

Urban adults, 18–64 yrs old

106

1999

IgG

[115]

 

16

Urban children, 1–15 yrs old

194

2011

IgG

[115]

  1. aCAR; Central African Republic.
  2. bThe year of the publication.
  3. Seroprevalence varies by country and by subpopulation and studies were done under different conditions (e.g., sample size, demographics, and different diagnostic methods). Age of the sample is provided as mean (range or ± standard deviation, if available).