2014 Volume 55 Issue 5 Pages 287-289
To investigate the regional difference in hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection in Nagano Prefecture, we tested a total of 260 blood donors that were collected in 2006 and 2011 (Northern region: 56, Eastern region: 55, Central region: 52, Southern region: 97) for the presence of anti-HEV IgG. Anti-HEV IgG was detected at 16.2%in Nagano Prefecture, being significantly higher in males. In 2006 anti-HEV IgG was higher in Southern region (31.9%) than in the other three regions (Northern, Central and Eastern region). However, other than the northern region was positive rate at the same level in 2011. Since there is a possibility that the actual eating habits and infection status of the region has changed during five years, it is necessary to conduct monitoring in the future.
