Hepatitis E virus and fulminant hepatitis--a virus or host-specific pathology?

ABSTRACT:

Background & aims

Fulminant hepatitis is a rare outcome of infection with hepatitis E virus. Several recent reports suggest that virus variation is an important determinant of disease progression. To critically examine the evidence that virus-specific factors underlie the development of fulminant hepatitis following hepatitis E virus infection.

Methods

Published sequence information of hepatitis E virus isolates from patients with and without fulminant hepatitis was collected and analysed using statistical tests to identify associations between virus polymorphisms and disease outcome.

Results

Fulminant hepatitis has been reported following infection with all four hepatitis E virus genotypes that infect humans comprising multiple phylogenetic lineages within genotypes

SUBMITTER: Smith DB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4676335 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature