ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the risk factors of acute sporadic hepatitis E virus (HEV) cases and to analyze its partial sequence in some districts of Shanghai.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>30 blood samples were collected from the acute sporadic HEV cases in 2003-2004 and the RT-nPCR method was applied to obtain the sequence of HEV in these cases. Meanwhile, a 1:2 case-control study was used to identify risk factors in the process of sporadic HEV infection in these regions of Shanghai.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Data from the sequential analysis showed that HEV of the sporadic cases belonged to HEV genotype IV. Finding from the case-control study implicated that the housing condition, outside eating history, especially seafoods (OR = 7.048) played an important role in the infection of HEV. Results from multiple logistic regression showed that eating raw seafoods appeared to be one of the risk factors of HEV infection.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>HEV sequences isolated from the sporadic cases of HEV in some districts of Shanghai belonged to HEV genotype IV. Foods, especially seafood, were the risk factors in the infection of HEV.</p>