IJOH Vol.10 No. 2 (July-December) Article - 2
Research Article
International Journal of One Health, 10(2): 172-177
https://doi.org/10.14202/IJOH.2024.172-177
Prevalence and risk factors of Hepatitis E virus infection among Bactrian camel herders in Bayankhongor province, Mongolia
2. Department of Physiology, Mongolian National University of Medical Sciences, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
3. Department of Training, Scientific Research and Cooperation, Khuree Maternal Hospital, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
4. Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Mongolian University of Life Sciences, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
5. National Center for Communicable Diseases, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
Background and Aim:Hepatitis E virus (HEV) poses a global public health concern. HEV has a single serotype and 8 genotypes. There is inadequate knowledge about risk factors and zoonotic transmission pathways of hepatitis E virus in Mongolia, although the prevalence of HEV is, on average, 12% among the Mongolian population. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence and risk factors of HEV G8 infection in Bayankhongor province, Mongolia.
Materials and Methods: Human serum samples (309) were collected in Bogd, Bayangovi, and Bayanlig districts of Bayankhongor province, Mongolia, with a control group consisting of non-camel herders. An in-house indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit was used to detect anti-HEV IgG. The interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to gather the data. The assessment factors included age, sex, and occupation for the respondents. Univariate analyses were conducted using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 26. The same population was tested for hepatitis B and C viruses (HBVs and HCVs) using rapid tests.
Results: Of 309 samples, 41 (13.3%) tested positive for anti-HEV immunoglobulin G antibodies, 23 (7.4%) for HBV and 11 (3.6%) for HCV. HEV seropositivity was linked with water supply, khoormog consumption, and co-infection with HBV and HCV.
Conclusion: HEV prevalence among Bayankhongor residents underscores potential transmission routes related to water supply and khoormog consumption, emphasizing the need for sequencing from human positive sera of HEV and preventive measures. We did not conduct the genotyping of positive human samples.
Keywords: Bactrian camel herder, genotype 8, hepatitis E virus, indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, seroprevalence.
How to cite this article: Batmagnai E, Chimedregzen BE, Nyamdavaa K, Osorjin B, Bazartseren B, Khuyagaa SO, Ganbold S, Dashzevge E, Raadan O, Myagmarsuren O, Manaljav TI, Otgonbayar D, Damchaaperenlei T, Yondonjamts E, Ariunbold M, and Tsatsralt-Od B (2024) Prevalence and risk factors of Hepatitis E virus infection among Bactrian camel herders in Bayankhongor province, Mongolia, Int. J. One Health, 10(2): 172-177.
Received: 08-03-2024 Accepted: 29-05-2024 Published online: 25-07-2024
Corresponding author: E-mail:
DOI: 10.14202/IJOH.2024.172-177
Copyright: Batmagnai, et al. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http:// creativecommons.org/ publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.
