In order to investigate the epidemic of hepatitis E virus (HEV) in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients，235 serum samples collected from HIV-infected patients were subjected to molecular detections for HEV infection, these including enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for HEV IgG and IgM and antigen, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method for HEV RNA. Roche COBAS®AmpliPrep/COBAS®TaqMan HIV-1 Test was applied for HIV levels. No HEV RNA-positive results were found in this study. The positive rate of HEV IgG antibody in intravenous drug users, blood component donors and unexplained HIV infection population were 49.3%, 39.5% and 30.4%, respectively, and the collective positive rate in HIV-infected patients was 37.4%. There was no statistically significant difference (χ2＝2.978, P>0.05) in HIV viral load among three HIV-infected groups, and between HEV IgG-positive and -negative populations (P>0.05). The results suggest that more studies are required to elucidate the role of HEV infection in HIV patients, and to establish effective preventive measures, including vaccine inoculation for HIV-infected patients.