Rat Hepatitis E Virus as Cause of Persistent Hepatitis after Liver Transplant
oleh: Siddharth Sridhar, Cyril C.Y. Yip, Shusheng Wu, Jianpiao Cai, Anna Jin-Xia Zhang, Kit-Hang Leung, Tom W.H. Chung, Jasper F.W. Chan, Wan-Mui Chan, Jade L.L. Teng, Rex K.H. Au-Yeung, Vincent C.C. Cheng, Honglin Chen, Susanna K.P. Lau, Patrick C.Y. Woo, Ning-Shao Xia, Chung-Mau Lo, Kwok-Yung Yuen
| Format: | Article |
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| Diterbitkan: | Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2018-12-01 |
Deskripsi
All hepatitis E virus (HEV) variants reported to infect humans belong to the species Orthohepevirus A (HEV-A). The zoonotic potential of the species Orthohepevirus C (HEV-C), which circulates in rats and is highly divergent from HEV-A, is unknown. We report a liver transplant recipient with hepatitis caused by HEV-C infection. We detected HEV-C RNA in multiple clinical samples and HEV-C antigen in the liver. The complete genome of the HEV-C isolate had 93.7% nt similarity to an HEV-C strain from Vietnam. The patient had preexisting HEV antibodies, which were not protective against HEV-C infection. Ribavirin was an effective treatment, resulting in resolution of hepatitis and clearance of HEV-C viremia. Testing for this zoonotic virus should be performed for immunocompromised and immunocompetent patients with unexplained hepatitis because routine hepatitis E diagnostic tests may miss HEV-C infection. HEV-C is also a potential threat to the blood product supply.