Hyams Kenneth C
Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Public Health and Environmental Hazards, 810 Vermont Avenue NW, Washington, DC, USA.
Curr Gastroenterol Rep. 2002 Aug;4(4):302-7. doi: 10.1007/s11894-002-0080-5.
The infectious agent causing epidemic non-A, non-B hepatitis was identified in 1983 from a human challenge experiment. The novel hepatitis E virus (HEV) subsequently was cloned in 1990 and the genome sequenced. HEV transmission is highly endemic in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. Fecal contamination of drinking water is the most common mode of spread. Although usually asymptomatic, HEV infection can cause fulminant hepatitis. Recent studies indicate that hepatitis E may be a zoonotic disease, with pigs and possibly rats serving as reservoirs for human infection. A recombinant HEV vaccine is currently in phase III clinical trials. The characterization of the major types of viral hepatitis during the last 20 years illustrates how modern genetic technology has revolutionized research in infectious diseases. Within less than two decades of the discovery of HEV, its epidemiology has been described, serologic tests have been developed, and a candidate vaccine has been evaluated in clinical trials.
1983年，通过人体激发试验确定了导致流行性非甲非乙型肝炎的病原体。随后，新型戊型肝炎病毒（HEV）于1990年被克隆并进行了基因组测序。HEV传播在亚洲、中东和非洲高度流行。饮用水的粪便污染是最常见的传播方式。虽然HEV感染通常无症状，但可导致暴发性肝炎。最近的研究表明，戊型肝炎可能是一种人畜共患病，猪甚至可能还有大鼠是人类感染的储存宿主。一种重组HEV疫苗目前正处于III期临床试验阶段。过去20年中对主要类型病毒性肝炎的特征描述说明了现代基因技术如何彻底改变了传染病研究。在发现HEV后的不到二十年时间里，其流行病学已被描述，血清学检测已被开发，并且一种候选疫苗已在临床试验中得到评估。
