A new report has confirmed the first case of human infection of the rat variant of the hepatitis E virus. The case was identified in Hong Kong and reported from one of the best universities in the country. The case was confirmed by the University of Hong Kong. The university alerted the public to the discovery of human infection by the rat hepatitis E virus. Virus transmission is a major public health concern today. Hepatitis E virus in rats contracted from a human In Hong Kong, a 56-year-old man was hospitalized due to alarming and abnormal liver function test results. The patient recently received a new liver, and as part of his treatment and care, doctors need to regularly monitor his liver function. When doctors examined the abnormal test results, they detected the presence of the hepatitis E virus found in rats in the patient's system. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The researchers who conducted the study believe the virus was contracted through food contaminated with rat droppings. They considered contamination due to rat infestation outside the patient's residence. “This study demonstrates conclusively, for the first time in the world, that HEV from rats can infect humans causing a clinical infection,” the university quoted Medical Xpress as saying. The patient has already received the appropriate treatment, ribavirin, and is currently recovering from the disease. Zoonotic Hepatitis E Virus Hepatitis E virus in rats is not closely related to human HEV, not even a single variant, which signifies the main concern caused by the recent report. The common denominators of the rat HEV variant and the human HEV variant are clinical symptoms, such as fever, jaundice, and stomach pain. HEV in rats is common in animal populations in different parts of the world, according to several studies: - In a 2012 study, researchers found the presence of zoonotic HEV in wild Norway rats or Rattus norvegicus in Hamburg, Germany. The virus was detected with the usual genome organization, but had a high nucleotide and more diverse amino acid sequence than normal. - In another 2012 study, scientists examined 446 wild rats in the United States, and in 35 animals HEV RNA was found in liver tissues. HEV RNA was isolated and analyzed to determine its genetic properties. The results showed that three isolates were all zoonotic HEV genotypes. - In 2011, researchers published a study on the presence of zoonotic HEV in rats in Los Angeles, California. The HEV genomic sequence identified in Germany was found genetically similar to the sample isolated in Los Angeles, California. They tested HEV obtained from urban rats in California and found it unable to infect rhesus monkeys, suggesting its very low potential to infect humans. - Another study from 2011 conducted a broader search for zoonotic HEVs in several regions. They found the presence of hepevirus RNA in 85 out of 3,869 bat species across five continents. Genome sequence analysis suggested high diversity compared to human HEV. Hepeviridae is the family of viruses that includes HEV. Human hepatitis virus According to the World Health Organization, approximately 20 million HEV infections occur worldwide every year. Although it is present in every corner of the planet, the prevalence of the viral infection is greatest in East Asia and..