Hepatitis E Virus Infection Among Iranian Patients with Beta-Thalassemia

Background: The main transmission route of hepatitis E virus (HEV) is fecal-oral by contaminated water and food. Besides, it can be transmitted through infected blood of persons with subclinical infection. Objectives: The current study aimed to estimate the prevalence of HEV infection as an emerging virus among thalassemic patients. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 110 thalassemia patients who were living in Tehran Province were selected. All serum samples were assessed for the presence of total anti-HEV antibodies (IgG and IgM). After RNA extraction from sera, cDNA was synthesized, and RT-PCR was used to determine the HEV-RNA. Results: The results of the ELISA test showed that 4.5% of thalassemia patients were positive for anti-HEV Ab. Also, the prevalence of HEV-RNA was 0.0% among thalassemia patients. Conclusions: Our findings may confirm that the risk of HEV infection via blood transmission among thalassemia patients is low in Iran. However, to prevent the possibility of HEV transmission, precautionary measures should be considered in blood recipients.