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Hepatitis E is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis E virus (HEV): a small virus, with a positive-sense, single-stranded ribonucleic acid (RNA) genome. The virus has 4 different types: genotypes 1, 2, 3 and 4. Genotypes 1 and 2 have been found in humans. Genotype 3 and 4 viruses circulate in several animals (rats, pigs, wild boars, and deer) without causing any disease, and occasionally infect humans.
According to a new research, a man has developed the world’s first ever human case of the rat version of the hepatitis E virus. The study conclusively proves for the first time in the world that rat HEV can infect humans to cause clinical infection.
Rat hepatitis E virus is very distantly related to human hepatitis E virus variants, the disease was found in a 56-year-old man who persistently produced abnormal liver function tests following a liver transplant. He could have contracted the illness through food infected by rat droppings.
The man lived in a housing estate where there were signs of rat infestation outside his home. He is now recovering after being treated for the virus. According to the World Health Organisation, the human version of hepatitis E is a liver disease that affects millions of people globally.
It is usually spread through contaminated drinking water. Symptoms include fever, vomiting, jaundice and liver failure. Rodent problems in Hong Kong have escalated in recent months because of a sustained spell of hot and humid weather.