| Theme |
Update on Hepatitis E |
| Title |
Recent Progress in Hepatitis E Virus Research |
| Author |
Tiancheng Li |
Department of Virology II, National Institute of Infectious Diseases |
| Author |
Tatsuo Miyamura |
Department of Virology II, National Institute of Infectious Diseases |
| Author |
Naokazu Takeda |
Department of Virology II, National Institute of Infectious Diseases |
| [ Summary ] |
Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a non-enveloped small, round virus and a causative agent for hepatitis E. At least 4 genotypes are known for HEV at the moment. In Japan, HEV genotypes 3 and 4 infect not only humans but also pigs and wild boars, providing direct evidence of zoonotic food-borne transmission of HEV. The diagnosis of hepatitis E was performed either through genome detection of RT-PCR or antibody detection by ELISA, or both. Development of a DNA based vaccine or a vaccine from a recombinant protein is on-going. |