Highlights
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- Hepatitis E virus is transmitted mainly via waterborne, foodborne and zoonotic routes.
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- Genotypes 3 and 4 (HEV-3 and HEV-4) are the only genotypes confirmed to be zoonotic.
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- The main animal reservoirs of zoonotic HEV are domestic pigs and wild boars.
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- Novel HEV variants are identified from an increasing number of animal species.
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- Understanding HEV interspecies transmission is needed to implement efficient prevention and control measures.
The
concept of zoonotic viral hepatitis E has emerged a few years ago
following the discovery of animal strains of hepatitis E virus (HEV),
closely related to human HEV, in countries where sporadic cases of
hepatitis E were autochthonous. Recent advances in the identification of
animal reservoirs of HEV have confirmed that strains circulating in
domestic and wild pigs are genetically related to strains identified in
indigenous human cases. The demonstration of HEV contamination in the
food chain or pork products has indicated that HEV is frequently a
foodborne zoonotic pathogen. Direct contacts with infected animals,
consumption of contaminated animal meat or meat products are all
potential means of zoonotic HEV transmission. The recent identification
of numerous other genetically diverse HEV strains from various animal
species poses additional potential concerns for HEV zoonotic infection.
Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
