P- 51 HEALTH EDUCATION AND SEROPREVALENCE OF HEV IN RURAL AND PERI-URBAN POPULATION, WITH AGRICULTURAL ACTIVITY IN BAHIA – BRAZIL - PRELIMINARY DATA

Introduction and Objectives

Hepatitis E is an infection caused by the E virus (HEV) with the fecal-oral transmission. The spectrum of the disease varies from acute form to chronic evolution. There are few studies in the rural region of Bahia State. This study aimed to study the seroprevalence of hepatitis E in a city in a rural region in Brazil.

Materials and Methods

Held in May 2022 at family health clinics (PSFs) in the city of Serrinha-Bahia State, with 80,000 inhabitants and 184.6 km from Salvador, capital city. Participants who agreed to integrate into the study signed the Free and Informed Consent Term, collected blood samples and answered the questionnaire. The samples were stored at -20°C until the moment of use; those that needed to be retested for IgM were transported on dry ice and frozen at -80°C. IgG and IgM anti-HEV diagnostic kits (mikrogen and Diapro) approved by ANVISA of MS in Brazil were used. Medical-educational activities were carried out in the units on the prevention of viral hepatitis and health

Results

Of a sample of 300 volunteers, actually, 150 blood samples were analyzed, the prevalence of anti-HEV IgM and IgG was 2.66%, and anti-HEV IgG alone was 8.6%. Most were women, 75.3%, and the average age was 43 years (18 to 78 years). Median liver enzymes in HEV-positive patients were AST (27.5 IU/L), ALT (21 IU/L), and GGT (58.5 IU/L). Among the samples, 81% of the residences were in rural areas, 90.5% did not have a sewage system, 94.6% had running water, and 39.5% worked or worked with animal husbandry. Only 1.4% experienced flooding. The majority, 95.4%, consume pork and/or derivatives and 19.7% consume hunting meat.

Conclusions

A seroprevalence of 8.6% was found, higher than the result in a parallel study of our team in Salvador City (1.8%) and associated with a lack of basic sanitation, especially in rural areas.