Department of Plant Physiology and Molecular Biology, University of Plovdiv, 4000 Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
Department of Technology Transfer and IP Management, Center of Plant Systems Biology and Biotechnology, 4000 Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
Viruses. 2023 Jul 16;15(7):1558. doi: 10.3390/v15071558.
Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is one of the leading causes of acute viral hepatitis. Transmission of HEV mainly occurs via the fecal-oral route (ingesting contaminated water or food) or by contact with infected animals and their raw meat products. Some animals, such as pigs, wild boars, sheep, goats, rabbits, camels, rats, etc., are natural reservoirs of HEV, which places people in close contact with them at increased risk of HEV disease. Although hepatitis E is a self-limiting infection, it could also lead to severe illness, particularly among pregnant women, or chronic infection in immunocompromised people. A growing number of studies point out that HEV can be classified as a re-emerging virus in developed countries. Preventative efforts are needed to reduce the incidence of acute and chronic hepatitis E in non-endemic and endemic countries. There is a recombinant HEV vaccine, but it is approved for use and commercially available only in China and Pakistan. However, further studies are needed to demonstrate the necessity of applying a preventive vaccine and to create conditions for reducing the spread of HEV. This review emphasizes the hepatitis E virus and its importance for public health in Europe, the methods of virus transmission and treatment, and summarizes the latest studies on HEV vaccine development.
戊型肝炎病毒（HEV）是导致急性病毒性肝炎的主要原因之一。HEV 的主要传播途径是粪-口途径（摄入受污染的水或食物）或通过接触受感染的动物及其生肉产品。一些动物，如猪、野猪、绵羊、山羊、兔子、骆驼、老鼠等，是 HEV 的天然宿主，这使得与它们密切接触的人感染 HEV 的风险增加。尽管戊型肝炎是一种自限性感染，但它也可能导致严重疾病，尤其是在孕妇或免疫功能低下者中。越来越多的研究指出，HEV 可以被归类为发达国家的新兴病毒。需要采取预防措施来降低非流行和流行国家急性和慢性戊型肝炎的发病率。有一种重组 HEV 疫苗，但仅在中国和巴基斯坦获得批准使用和商业销售。然而，仍需要进一步的研究来证明预防性疫苗接种的必要性，并为减少 HEV 的传播创造条件。本综述强调了戊型肝炎病毒及其对欧洲公共卫生的重要性、病毒传播和治疗的方法，并总结了戊型肝炎疫苗开发的最新研究。
