The authors examined sera of 269 subjects for the presence of antibodies against the hepatitis E virus. In the group of patients with acute hepatitis (after elimination of hepatitis A, B and C) antibodies were detected in 27.8%, in the group of gypsies with non-hepatic disease in 4.8%, in a group of venereological patients in 2.4%. The conclusions from the preliminary results confirm the circulation of the hepatitis E virus in our population and its importance in the etiology of liver disease, in particular in more advanced age groups.