Rat Hepatitis E Virus as Cause of Persistent Hepatitis after Liver Transplant
Emerging Infectious Diseases·
- DOI
- 10.3201/eid2412.180937
- PMID
- 30457530
- PMCID
- PMC6256372
- OpenAlex
- W2899989846
- Study type
- Genomic study
- Publisher
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- Article type
- journal-article
- Integrity
- current
Why this research matters now
The report indicates that routine hepatitis E tests may fail to identify HEV-C infection and identifies possible relevance for evaluation of unexplained hepatitis. It also describes HEV-C as a potential concern for blood product safety, without providing population-level risk estimates.
Structured evidence summary
Research question
The report examined whether HEV-C, a divergent rat-associated hepatitis E virus, can infect humans and cause hepatitis after liver transplantation.
Study design
This was a peer-reviewed report of a single clinical infection with viral genomic characterization. HEV-C RNA and antigen were assessed in clinical and liver samples, and the isolate's complete genome was compared with another HEV-C strain.
Population and setting
The reported patient was a liver transplant recipient with hepatitis attributed to HEV-C infection. The abstract also discusses possible testing in immunocompromised and immunocompetent patients with unexplained hepatitis, but it does not provide a broader study population.
Main findings
HEV-C genetic material was identified in several clinical samples and viral antigen was detected in the liver. The patient had HEV antibodies before infection, but these did not prevent infection; ribavirin treatment was associated with resolution of hepatitis and clearance of detectable viremia.
Public-health relevance
The report indicates that routine hepatitis E tests may fail to identify HEV-C infection and identifies possible relevance for evaluation of unexplained hepatitis. It also describes HEV-C as a potential concern for blood product safety, without providing population-level risk estimates.
Important limitations
The evidence comes from a single reported liver transplant recipient and does not establish frequency, transmission patterns, population risk, or treatment effectiveness beyond this case. This summary is limited to the supplied single-article abstract and metadata; the original paper is required for decision-grade interpretation.
GIDS interpretation
The article is discoverable under hepatitis E, diagnostics, genomic epidemiology, One Health, and treatment, with metadata linking it to Hong Kong, China, and Vietnam. It provides case-level clinical and genomic context only and does not confirm or characterize a live surveillance signal.
Related GIDS surveillance
Literature context does not validate, explain, or change a surveillance signal. Exact and contextual relationships are shown separately.
Evidence relationships
This article has 12 auditable classifier relationships to diseases, places, topics, and study design.