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Viruses
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Hepatitis E Virus (HEV) 2.0
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Hepatitis E Virus (HEV) 2.0

A special issue of Viruses (ISSN 1999-4915). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Viruses".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 March 2024) | Viewed by 11507

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Siddharth Sridhar

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China
Interests: viral hepatitis; clinical virology; zoonosis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is one of the most important causes of viral hepatitis globally. HEV is actually an umbrella term for a large group of variants, many of which can cause human infections. Through multiple transmission routes (food-borne zoonotic, human-to-human, blood-borne), HEV has established niches in various epidemiological settings. The clinical spectrum of hepatitis E ranges from asymptomatic infection to fulminant hepatitis. Extrahepatic manifestations are increasingly recognized, and immunocompromised patients are prone to persistent infections.

We are honoured to act as guest editors for this Special Issue entitled ‘Hepatitis E Virus (HEV)’, which seeks to publish high-quality original research and review articles on unanswered questions in the field of hepatitis E pathogenesis, epidemiology, clinical management, and control. Both clinical research and basic research with translational relevance are welcome.

Dr. Siddharth Sridhar
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Viruses is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • hepatitis E virus
  • epidemiology
  • clinical diagnostics
  • clinical management
  • animal models
  • antivirals
  • vaccines

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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11 pages, 395 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of Prevalence of Hepatitis E Clinical Markers among Donors in Estonia
by Tatiana Kuznetsova, Diana Moor, Gulara Khanirzayeva and Julia Geller
Viruses 2023, 15(10), 2118; https://doi.org/10.3390/v15102118 - 19 Oct 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1021
Abstract
Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is now considered the most common cause of acute hepatitis worldwide. There are no published data about the prevalence of antibodies to HEV and RNA in donor sera in Estonia, and this precludes planning measures for preventing HEV proliferation [...] Read more.
Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is now considered the most common cause of acute hepatitis worldwide. There are no published data about the prevalence of antibodies to HEV and RNA in donor sera in Estonia, and this precludes planning measures for preventing HEV proliferation through blood transfusion services. Here, were report data from an analysis of 1002 sera on the prevalence of anti-HEV IgG and IgM and the viral RNA. The antibodies were found in 48 donor sera (4.8%); of these, 40 (4%) harbored anti-HEV IgG, 15 (1.5%) contained anti-HEV IgM, and 7 donors had anti-HEV antibodies of both classes simultaneously. HEV RNA was not detected in any blood serum. Statistical associations of infection risk factors (gender, age, travel in the last six months, contact with pigs and/or wild boars in the last six months, consumption of thermally unprocessed/raw pork or boar meat, raw/unfiltered tap water or water from natural sources, unpasteurized farm dairy products, and unwashed berries and/or vegetables) were assessed. None of the listed factors were found to be associated with a higher or lower risk of anti-HEV antibody presence. At the same time, an increasing share of anti-HEV IgG carriers with age was found. The absence of HEV RNA in the analyzed donor plasma samples proves that HEV acute infection prevalence in Estonia does not exceed the average level of European countries. There is no urgent necessity to enter a requirement for a total screening of blood plasma for HEV RNA prevalence in Estonia. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hepatitis E Virus (HEV) 2.0)
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14 pages, 1189 KiB  
Article
Evidence of Circulation and Phylogenetic Analysis of Hepatitis E Virus (HEV) in Wild Boar in South-East Italy
by Gianfranco La Bella, Maria Grazia Basanisi, Gaia Nobili, Rosa Coppola, Annita Maria Damato, Adelia Donatiello, Gilda Occhiochiuso, Antonella Cristina Romano, Mariateresa Toce, Lucia Palazzo, Francesco Pellegrini, Angela Fanelli, Barbara Di Martino, Elisabetta Suffredini, Gianvito Lanave, Vito Martella and Giovanna La Salandra
Viruses 2023, 15(10), 2021; https://doi.org/10.3390/v15102021 - 28 Sep 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1059
Abstract
Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is an important cause of acute viral hepatitis in humans worldwide. The food-borne transmission of HEV appears to be a major route in Europe through the consumption of pork and wild boar meat. HEV epidemiology in wild boars has [...] Read more.
Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is an important cause of acute viral hepatitis in humans worldwide. The food-borne transmission of HEV appears to be a major route in Europe through the consumption of pork and wild boar meat. HEV epidemiology in wild boars has been investigated mainly in Northern and Central Italian regions, whilst information from Southern Italy is limited. We investigated the occurrence of HEV in wild boar in the Apulia and Basilicata regions (Southern Italy). Thirteen (10.4%) out of one hundred and twenty-five wild boar samples tested positive for HEV using a quantitative reverse transcription PCR. HEV prevalence was 12% in Apulia and 9.3% in Basilicata. Seven samples were genotyped, and different subtypes (c, f, m) of genotype 3 were identified. The complete genome of a 3m strain was determined, and the virus showed the highest nucleotide identity to a human HEV strain identified in France in 2017. These findings demonstrate the substantial circulation of HEV in the wild boar population in Italian Southern regions. Gathering information on the HEV strains circulating in different geographical areas is useful for tracking the origin of HEV outbreaks and assessing the epidemiological role of wild boar as a potential virus reservoir for domestic pigs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hepatitis E Virus (HEV) 2.0)
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13 pages, 1199 KiB  
Article
Epidemiology Update of Hepatitis E Virus (HEV) in Uruguay: Subtyping, Environmental Surveillance and Zoonotic Transmission
by Florencia Cancela, Romina Icasuriaga, Santiago Cuevas, Valentina Hergatacorzian, Mauricio Olivera, Yanina Panzera, Ruben Pérez, Julieta López, Liliana Borzacconi, Elizabeth González, Natalia Montaldo, Melissa Gaitán, Sandra López-Verges, Viviana Bortagaray, Matías Victoria, Rodney Colina, Juan Arbiza, Mabel Berois and Santiago Mirazo
Viruses 2023, 15(10), 2006; https://doi.org/10.3390/v15102006 - 27 Sep 2023
Viewed by 1026
Abstract
Hepatitis E Virus (HEV) infection is an emergent zoonotic disease of increasing concern in developed regions. HEV genotype 3 (HEV-3) is mainly transmitted through consumption of contaminated food in high-income countries and is classified into at least 13 subtypes (3a–3n), based on p [...] Read more.
Hepatitis E Virus (HEV) infection is an emergent zoonotic disease of increasing concern in developed regions. HEV genotype 3 (HEV-3) is mainly transmitted through consumption of contaminated food in high-income countries and is classified into at least 13 subtypes (3a–3n), based on p-distance values from complete genomes. In Latin America, HEV epidemiology studies are very scant. Our group has previously detected HEV3 in clinical cases, swine, wild boars, captive white-collared peccaries, and spotted deer from Uruguay. Herein, we aimed to provide novel insights and an updated overview of the molecular epidemiology of zoonotic HEV in Uruguay, including data from wastewater-based surveillance studies. A thorough analysis of HEV whole genomes and partial ORF2 sequences from Uruguayan human and domestic pig strains showed that they formed a separate monophyletic cluster with high nucleotide identity and exhibited p-distance values over the established cut-off (0.093) compared with reference subtypes’ sequences. Furthermore, we found an overall prevalence of 10.87% (10/92) in wastewater, where two samples revealed a close relationship with humans, and animal reservoirs/hosts isolates from Uruguay. In conclusion, a single, new HEV-3 subtype currently circulates in different epidemiological settings in Uruguay, and we propose its designation as 3o along with its reference sequence. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hepatitis E Virus (HEV) 2.0)
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11 pages, 992 KiB  
Article
Clustered Cases of Waterborne Hepatitis E Virus Infection, France
by Sébastien Lhomme, Sébastien Magne, Sylvie Perelle, Emmanuelle Vaissière, Florence Abravanel, Laetitia Trelon, Catherine Hennechart-Collette, Audrey Fraisse, Sandra Martin-Latil, Jacques Izopet, Julie Figoni and Guillaume Spaccaferri
Viruses 2023, 15(5), 1149; https://doi.org/10.3390/v15051149 - 11 May 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1547
Abstract
The identification of seven cases of hepatitis E virus infection in a French rural hamlet in April 2015 led to investigations confirming the clustering and identifying the source of the infection. Laboratories and general practitioners in the area actively searched for other cases [...] Read more.
The identification of seven cases of hepatitis E virus infection in a French rural hamlet in April 2015 led to investigations confirming the clustering and identifying the source of the infection. Laboratories and general practitioners in the area actively searched for other cases based on RT-PCR and serological tests. The environment, including water sources, was also checked for HEV RNA. Phylogenetic analyses were performed to compare HEV sequences. No other cases were found. Six of the seven patients lived in the same hamlet, and the seventh used to visit his family who lived there. All HEV strains were very similar and belonged to the HEV3f subgenotype, confirming the clustering of these cases. All the patients drank water from the public network. A break in the water supply to the hamlet was identified at the time the infection probably occurred; HEV RNA was also detected in a private water source that was connected to the public water network. The water flowing from the taps was quite turbid during the break. The private water supply containing HEV RNA was the likely source of the contamination. Private water supplies not disconnected from the public network are still frequent in rural areas, where they may contribute to public water pollution. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hepatitis E Virus (HEV) 2.0)
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Review

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31 pages, 1665 KiB  
Review
The Re-Emergence of Hepatitis E Virus in Europe and Vaccine Development
by Gergana Zahmanova, Katerina Takova, Valeria Tonova, Tsvetoslav Koynarski, Laura L. Lukov, Ivan Minkov, Maria Pishmisheva, Stanislav Kotsev, Ilia Tsachev, Magdalena Baymakova and Anton P. Andonov
Viruses 2023, 15(7), 1558; https://doi.org/10.3390/v15071558 - 16 Jul 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 5005
Abstract
Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is one of the leading causes of acute viral hepatitis. Transmission of HEV mainly occurs via the fecal-oral route (ingesting contaminated water or food) or by contact with infected animals and their raw meat products. Some animals, such as [...] Read more.
Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is one of the leading causes of acute viral hepatitis. Transmission of HEV mainly occurs via the fecal-oral route (ingesting contaminated water or food) or by contact with infected animals and their raw meat products. Some animals, such as pigs, wild boars, sheep, goats, rabbits, camels, rats, etc., are natural reservoirs of HEV, which places people in close contact with them at increased risk of HEV disease. Although hepatitis E is a self-limiting infection, it could also lead to severe illness, particularly among pregnant women, or chronic infection in immunocompromised people. A growing number of studies point out that HEV can be classified as a re-emerging virus in developed countries. Preventative efforts are needed to reduce the incidence of acute and chronic hepatitis E in non-endemic and endemic countries. There is a recombinant HEV vaccine, but it is approved for use and commercially available only in China and Pakistan. However, further studies are needed to demonstrate the necessity of applying a preventive vaccine and to create conditions for reducing the spread of HEV. This review emphasizes the hepatitis E virus and its importance for public health in Europe, the methods of virus transmission and treatment, and summarizes the latest studies on HEV vaccine development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hepatitis E Virus (HEV) 2.0)
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Other

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8 pages, 275 KiB  
Brief Report
Hepatitis E Prevalence in Vulnerable Populations in Goiânia, Central Brazil
by Sheila Araújo Teles, Karlla Antonieta Amorim Caetano, Megmar Aparecida dos Santos Carneiro, Livia Melo Villar, Jeanne-Marie Stacciarini and Regina Maria Bringel Martins
Viruses 2023, 15(10), 2070; https://doi.org/10.3390/v15102070 - 10 Oct 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1005
Abstract
A transversal study was conducted among 472 vulnerable individuals (recyclable waste pickers, immigrants and refugees, homeless individuals, as well as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transexual individuals) in Goiânia City, the capital of the State of Goiás, Brazil, to investigate the prevalence of hepatitis [...] Read more.
A transversal study was conducted among 472 vulnerable individuals (recyclable waste pickers, immigrants and refugees, homeless individuals, as well as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transexual individuals) in Goiânia City, the capital of the State of Goiás, Brazil, to investigate the prevalence of hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection. A total of 459 (97.2%) serum samples were tested for anti-HEV IgG and IgM antibodies using fully automated chemiluminescence immunoassays (Liaison® Murex Anti-HEV IgG and IgM assays, DiaSorin, Saluggia, Italy). Positive samples were tested for the presence of HEV RNA by a real-time polymerase chain reaction. A seroprevalence of 0.87% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.34–2.22) was found for anti-HEV IgG. Furthermore, anti-HEV IgM was detected in only one individual (0.22%; 95% CI: 0.04–1.22), who was also negative for HEV RNA. These findings revealed that HEV infection is infrequent in vulnerable individuals in Central Brazil, with low seroprevalence of past and recent HEV infections. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hepatitis E Virus (HEV) 2.0)
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