HEPATITIS E VIRUS – HEV (Micro made easy pp 188)

General: RNA virus, belongs to group Togaviridae. Transmitted by faecal oral route. E = enteric.

Epidemiology/At risk individuals: Faecal oral transmission ≫ mostly via drinking faecally contaminated water. At risk individuals are those in endemic areas such as: Asia, India, South America, Africa.

Clinical features: Incubation period is 6 weeks. It has a high mortality rate among pregnant women, but general stands at 1-3%. It does not cause chronic liver disease.

Serological markers: HEV virion can be detected in stools. Initially there is rise in anti-HEV IgM antibody≫ then there is rise in anti-HEV IgG antibody.

Treatment/Prevention: Interestingly, Ig prepared from donors in endemic areas have more efficacy compared to those donors from Western nations. No vaccine available. Prevent by not taking contaminated food + water.

Category: Microbiology Notes