Research material on Hepatitis E virus among camel herders in Eastern province

Abstract

Background: Hepatitis E virus is an infectious disease transmitted through household contact. As for Mongolia, the high demand for meat from animal husbandry makes our country one of the high-risk countries. According to a 2004 study, the prevalence of hepatitis E virus among the healthy population of Mongolia is 11.7%. Until now, the lack of epidemiologic studies of hepatitis E virus is the basis for this study. We aimed to determine the prevalence of hepatitis E virus among cattle breeders in the Dornod Province. Aim: To determine the level of hepatitis E virus infection among cattle breeders in Eastern province. Materials and Methods: In the study, 276 people aged 20-65 from Bulgan Sum, Khulunbuir, and Choibalsan Sum of Dornod Province were randomly selected and included in the study. Antibodies to the hepatitis virus were determined by serology and questionnaires in all research participants. SPSS 26 software was used to develop the numerical parameters of the research work. Results: 43 (15.6%) participants were diagnosed with hepatitis E virus infection by serological and questionnaire methods, of which 23 (32.4%) were participants over 60 years old. 4 (6.6%) of the study participants diagnosed with hepatitis E virus had previously been infected with hepatitis A virus. 39 (18.1%) had no history of hepatitis A virus, and there was a statistically significant result. It was observed that 38 (92.7%) of the cases of hepatitis E infection used camel meat regularly or occasionally, and 34 (82.9%) used camel meat, but there was no statistically significant difference. Conclusion: Our results showed that the prevalence of the hepatitis E virus among cattle breeders in the Dornod Province was determined as 15.6% and the age group can be a risk factor for hepatitis E virus infection.