Seroprevalence and Associated Factors of Hepatitis A Virus and Hepatitis E Virus Infection Among Blood Donors in Argentina: A Multicentre Study.

Hepatitis A virus (HAV) and hepatitis E virus (HEV) are enterically transmitted hepatotropic viruses with heterogeneous epidemiological patterns in Argentina. Data simultaneously evaluating both infections in blood donor populations are limited. We conducted a multicentre cross-sectional study including 848 blood donors from three Argentine blood banks between September 2024 and August 2025. Total antiHAV and antiHEV IgG antibodies were determined by ELISA. Sociodemographic, occupational, dietary, and donation-related variables were collected using standardized questionnaires. Logistic regression models with restricted cubic splines were applied to assess age-specific associations and inter-centre variability. Overall antiHAV seroprevalence was 62.9% (95% CI: 59.6-66.0) and antiHEV seroprevalence was 12.1% (95% CI: 10.1-14.5), with significant differences between blood banks. AntiHAV seropositivity showed a non-linear association with age and a significant interaction with blood bank (p < 0.001), whereas no independent associations with questionnaire-derived exposures were identified after adjustment. AntiHEV seropositivity was not associated with age but remained independently associated with occupational food handling (aOR 1.94; 95% CI: 1.04-3.51) and game meat consumption (aOR 2.19; 95% CI: 1.24-3.81). Dual seropositivity (6.5%) was consistent with statistical independence between infections. AntiHAV and antiHEV seroprevalence in this accessible adult donor population provides updated epidemiological information from three Argentine blood banks. The study also adds data on joint seroprevalence and associated factors, contributing to the understanding of HAV and HEV exposure patterns in this setting.