Songtanin, B.; Molehin, A.J.; Brittan, K.; Manatsathit, W.; Nugent, K. Hepatitis E Virus Infections: Epidemiology, Genetic Diversity, and Clinical Considerations. Viruses2023, 15, 1389.
Songtanin, B.; Molehin, A.J.; Brittan, K.; Manatsathit, W.; Nugent, K. Hepatitis E Virus Infections: Epidemiology, Genetic Diversity, and Clinical Considerations. Viruses 2023, 15, 1389.
Songtanin, B.; Molehin, A.J.; Brittan, K.; Manatsathit, W.; Nugent, K. Hepatitis E Virus Infections: Epidemiology, Genetic Diversity, and Clinical Considerations. Viruses2023, 15, 1389.
Songtanin, B.; Molehin, A.J.; Brittan, K.; Manatsathit, W.; Nugent, K. Hepatitis E Virus Infections: Epidemiology, Genetic Diversity, and Clinical Considerations. Viruses 2023, 15, 1389.
Abstract
According to the World Health Organization, approximately 20 million people worldwide are infected annually with the hepatitis E virus (HEV). There are 4 main genotypes of HEV. Genotype 1 and genotype 2 are common in developing countries and are transmitted by contaminated water from a fecal-oral route. Genotype 3 and genotype 4 are common in developed countries and can lead to occasional transmission to humans by undercooked meat. Hepatitis E virus 1 and HEV3 can lead to fulminant hepatitis, and HEV3 can lead to chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis in immunocompromised patients. The majority of patients with HEV infection are asymptomatic and usually have spontaneous viral clearance without treatment. However, infection in immunocompromised individuals can lead to chronic HEV infection. Both acute and chronic HEV infections can have extrahepatic manifestations. No specific treatment is required for acute HEV infection, no treatment has been approved in chronic infection and no HEV vaccine has been approved by the (United States) Food and Drug Administration. This review focuses on the molecular virology (HEV life cycle, genotypes, model systems, zoonosis), pathogenesis, clinical manifestation, and treatment of chronic HEV infection, especially in immunocompromised patients, to provide clinicians a better understanding of the global distribution of these infections and the significant effect they can have on immunocompromised patients.
Keywords
hepatitis e virus; hepatitis e infection; immunocompromised host; organ transplantation; extrahepatic manifestation; chronic hepatitis E; hepatology
Subject
Medicine and Pharmacology, Gastroenterology and Hepatology
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
