title: Hepatitis E.
abstract: Hepatitis E virus (HEV) was discovered during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s, after an outbreak of unexplained hepatitis at a military camp. A pooled faecal extract from affected soldiers was ingested by a member of the research team. He became sick, and the new virus (named HEV), was detected in his stool by electron microscopy. Subsequently, endemic HEV has been identified in many resource-poor countries. Globally, HEV is the most common cause of acute viral hepatitis. The virus was not initially thought to occur in developed countries, but recent reports have shown this notion to be mistaken. The aim of this Seminar is to describe recent discoveries regarding HEV, and how they have changed our understanding of its effect on human health worldwide.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, Dialysis and Organ Transplantation, CHU Rangueil, Toulouse, France; Centre de Physiopathologie de Toulouse-Purpan, Toulouse, France; Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: Nassim
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kamar
authors.affiliation: Clinical Microbiology, Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust, Truro, UK.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bendall
authors.affiliation: Centre de Physiopathologie de Toulouse-Purpan, Toulouse, France; Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France; Department of Virology, CHU Purpan, Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: Florence
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Legrand-Abravanel
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, School of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China.
authors.forename: Ning-Shao
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.affiliation: Virus Reference Department, Microbiology Services-Colindale, Health Protection Agency, London, UK.
authors.forename: Samreen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ijaz
authors.affiliation: Centre de Physiopathologie de Toulouse-Purpan, Toulouse, France; Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France; Department of Virology, CHU Purpan, Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: Jacques
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Izopet
authors.affiliation: Cornwall Gastrointestinal Unit, Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust, Truro, UK; European Centre of Environment and Human Health, Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry, Universities of Exeter and Plymouth, Truro, UK. Electronic address: harry.dalton@rcht.cornwall.nhs.uk.
authors.forename: Harry R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Dalton
mesh_terms: D016751:Hepatitis E / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy*; D016752:Hepatitis E virus; D006801:Humans