Hepatitis E in blood donors: prevalence, risks of posttransfusion infection and screening strategy

Introduction . Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is transmitted primarily through contaminated water and food, but cases of transfusiontransmitted HEV infection (TT-HEV) have also been described. TT-HEV may pose a serious risk for immunosuppressed patients, such as recipients of hematopoietic stem cell transplants or solid organ transplants. The risk of TT-HEV is associated with HEV viremia in asymptomatic donors. In recent years, several European countries and Japan have introduced universal screening of blood donors for HEV RNA. Aim : to systematize published data on the prevalence of HEV infection among donors and the levels of risk of TT-HEV in different regions of the world, as well as approaches to screening donors for HEV. Main findings . An analysis of the research data obtained in limited donor cohorts, as well as real-world data obtained following the implementation of universal donor screening indicates the relevance of testing blood donors for HEV RNA. The results of studies conducted in the Russian Federation indicate the frequency of detection of HEV viremia in donors comparable to that observed in countries where universal screening of donors for HEV RNA has already been implemented. The absence of documented cases of TT-HEV in the Russian Federation may be due not to the absence of the problem as such, but to insuffi cient availability of hepatitis E diagnostics and/or the lack of awareness of clinicians regarding this infection.