Seroprevalence of Hepatitis E Virus in Human and Pigs in Pig Farms from Guangdong Province, Southern China

Hepatitis E is caused by hepatitis E virus （HEV）, which has been classified into four genotypes. Genotypes 3 and 4 are regarded as zoonotic pathogens. Accumulating researches indicate that genotype 4 is the main HEV strain circulating in China, and there are high levels of seropositive pigs and human in some provinces of China. In this study, serum samples from pigs and from human occupationally exposed to pigs were obtained from pig farms in Guangdong Province, in subtropical southern China, in order to investigate for the first time the prevalence of anti-HEV immunoglobulin G （IgG） in the region. Antibodies against HEV were detected by Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay （ELISA） using a commercially marketed kit. The results showed that high numbers of pigs （74/94; 78.7%） and human （50/94; 53.2%） from three pig farms in Guangdong Province were positive for anti-HEV IgG. The correlation coefficient relating the prevalence in pigs and human on different farms was 0.920. The seropositive rate in males （human） was 48.8% （20/41） and that in females was 47.7% （9/19）, which showed no statistically significant difference. These data indicated that there was a high prevalence of anti-HEV antibodies in pigs and in human with occupational exposure to pigs. The risk of infection with HEV in both human and pigs in Guangdong Province appeared to be age-dependent, to a certain extent. This study provided basic data for further researches on HEV and was a reminder that more attention should be paid to HEV infection both in pigs and workers on pig farms in the study region.