| [ Summary ] |
Zoonotic transmission of the hepatitis E virus (HEV) has been reported. The significance of wild boars as a source of HEV infection was reviewed. The number of Japanese patients with acute hepatitis E, including fulminant hepatitis who had a history of eating wild boar meat, including liver, has totaled four. Several investigators have studied the prevalence of anti-HEV and HEV-RNA in wild boars, and found that HEV-RNA was present in several % of wild boars. Boars positive for HEV-RNA were found in the Kyushu, Shikoku and Honshu areas in Japan. From these reports, wild boars have been identified as an important source of zoonotic HEV transmission. |