title: Hepatitis E virus infections in humans and animals.
abstract: Hepatitis E has traditionally been considered an endemic disease of developing countries. It generally spreads through contaminated water. However, seroprevalence studies have shown that hepatitis E virus (HEV) infections are not uncommon in industrialized countries. In addition, the number of autochthonous hepatitis E cases in these countries is increasing. Most HEV infections in developed countries can be traced to the ingestion of contaminated raw or undercooked pork meat or sausages. Several animal species, including pigs, are known reservoirs of HEV that transmit the virus to humans. HEVs are now recognized as an emerging zoonotic agent. In this review, we describe the general characteristics of HEVs isolated from humans and animals, the risk factors for human HEV infection, and the current status of human vaccine development.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Young-Jo
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Woo-Jung
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Byung-Joo
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Joong-Bok
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Seung-Yong
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Chang-Seon
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Nak-Hyung
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Kun-Ho
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Seo
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Science and Technology, SMART Institute of Advanced Biomedical Science, Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Young-Sun
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea. ; Veterinary Science Research Institute, College of Veterinary Medicine, Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: In-Soo
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Choi
keywords: Animals; Hepatitis E virus; Humans; Vaccines; Zoonoses