title: Hepatitis E: An emerging infection in high income countries.
abstract: Hepatitis E virus (HEV) genotype 3 is the most recently characterized hepatotropic virus and is increasingly being recognized as the cause of unexplained liver disease in many western countries. Although asymptomatic in most cases, HEV GT3 may be responsible for a wide range of illnesses, from mild to fulminant acute hepatitis, and also chronic hepatitis in immunocompromised patients. Extrahepatic manifestations have been occasionally described. Anti-HEV antibody detection by immunoassays is hampered by moderate test accuracy particularly in immunocompromised hosts while a WHO international standard for molecular detection of HEV RNA by RT-PCR has recently been introduced. This review describes the basic virology, epidemiology, clinical virology and treatment of HEV GT3 infections in high income countries.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, University Medical Center Utrecht (UMCU), Utrecht, The Netherlands; Members of the European Study Group on Viral Hepatitis (ESGVH) of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID), Switzerland. Electronic address: j.e.arends@umcutrecht.nl.
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Arends
authors.affiliation: Microbiology & Virology Laboratory, Department of Infectious Diseases, Amedeo di Savoia Hospital, Turin, Italy; Members of the European Study Group on Viral Hepatitis (ESGVH) of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID), Switzerland.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ghisetti
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, NIHR Nottingham Digestive Diseases Biomedical Research Unit, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham, United Kingdom; Members of the European Study Group on Viral Hepatitis (ESGVH) of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID), Switzerland.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Irving
authors.affiliation: Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry, Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust, Truro, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: H R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Dalton
authors.affiliation: Centre de Physiopathologie de Toulouse-Purpan, Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Izopet
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, University Medical Center Utrecht (UMCU), Utrecht, The Netherlands; Members of the European Study Group on Viral Hepatitis (ESGVH) of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID), Switzerland.
authors.forename: A I M
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Hoepelman
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Hôpital Cochin, Paris, France; Members of the European Study Group on Viral Hepatitis (ESGVH) of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID), Switzerland.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Salmon
mesh_terms: D021821:Communicable Diseases, Emerging / Q000453:epidemiology*; D019049:Developed Countries; D016751:Hepatitis E / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016752:Hepatitis E virus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D007118:Immunoassay / Q000379:methods; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D014773:Virology / Q000379:methods
keywords: Genotype 3; Hepatitis E; Ribavirin, Autochthonous transmission