摘要
Hepatitis E virus （HEV） infection is a common causeof acute clinical hepatitis worldwide. HEV is an RNAcontainingvirus and the only member of the genusHepevirus in the family Hepeviridae . Human HEV isclassified into four genotypes widely distributed acrossthe world. The virus is mainly transmitted via the fecaloralroute, and water-borne epidemics have becomecharacteristic of hepatitis E in developing countries,including those in Latin America. The zoonoticpotential of HEV is broadly recognized. Thus, thereis an urgent need to re-evaluate virus transmissionscenarios and to enforce epidemiological surveillancesystems. Additionally, it is known that HEV infections,initially defined as self-limiting, can also take chroniccourses in immunocompromised patients. Moreover,we recently reported a high seroprevalence of HEV insamples from cirrhotic patients with no other etiologicalagents present, suggesting the potential role of HEVin the development of chronic liver illness. In thisreview, HEV genomic variability, transmission, chronicinfectious course, zoonotic potential and treatmentare discussed. Focus is placed on the impact of HEVinfection in Latin America, to support the developmentof specific control strategies and the handling of thisimportant and typically imperceptible viral infection.
