Hepatitis E and hepatitis C virus infections among French soldiers with non-A, non-B hepatitis.

Serologic markers of HCV and HEV were investigated in 74 French soldiers with non-A, non-B hepatitis and in 18 patients involved in an outbreak of non-A,non-B hepatitis in Algeria. Moreover, anti-HCV antibodies were detected in 13 patients with non-A,non-B hepatitis of parenteral origin. HEV antibodies were investigated in 61-65% of patients involved in the 2 enterically transmitted outbreaks of non-A,non-B hepatitis observed in Algeria and Chad. The third cluster of non-A,non-B hepatitis observed in French soldiers serving in French Guyana is more likely to be attributed to malaria prophylactic treatment with Amodiaquine than to a viral origin. HCV infection was observed in 93% of acute or chronic cases associated with blood transfusion or parenteral drug abuse. Among acute cases, none of the soldiers who contracted the disease in Africa or in French Guyana was found to be anti-HCV positive compared to 78% of those who contracted the disease in France. HCV infections resulted in chronic hepatitis in 61% of cases.