A new report has confirmed the first case of human infection with the rat variant of the hepatitis E virus. The case has was identified in Hong Kong and reported by one of the country's top universities. The case was confirmed by the University of Hong Kong. The university warned the public about the discovery of human infection with the rat hepatitis E virus. Transmission of the virus now constitutes a major public health problem. Hepatitis E virus in rats contracted from a humanIn Hong Kong, a 56-year-old man was hospitalized due to alarming and abnormal liver function test results. The patient recently received a new liver and as part of the treatment and care, doctors need to check his liver function regularly. When clinicians investigated the abnormal test results, they detected the presence of the hepatitis E virus found in rats in the patient's body. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on 'Why violent video games should not be banned'? Get the original essay The researchers who conducted the study believe the virus was contracted through food contaminated with rat feces. They considered contamination due to rat infestation outside the patient's home. “This study conclusively proves, for the first time in the world, that rat HEV can infect humans and cause clinical infection,” the university said, as cited by Medical Xpress. The patient has already received the appropriate treatment, ribavirin, and is currently recovering. Zoonotic Hepatitis E Virus Hepatitis E virus in rats is not closely related to human HEV, not even a single variant, indicating major concern over the recent report. The common denominators of the rat variant of HEV and the human variant of HEV are clinical symptoms, such as fever, jaundice, and stomach pain. HEV in rats is common in animal populations in different parts of the world, according to several studies: - In a 2012 study, researchers discovered the presence of zoonotic HEV in wild Norway rats or Rattus norvegicus in Hamburg, Germany . The virus was detected with its usual genomic organization, but had a high nucleotide content and a more diverse amino acid sequence than normal. - In another 2012 study, scientists examined 446 wild rats in the United States and 35 of them had HEV RNA in their liver tissues. HEV RNA had been isolated and analyzed for genetic properties. The results showed that three isolates were all zoonotic HEV genotypes. - In 2011, researchers published a study regarding the presence of zoonotic HEV in rats in Los Angeles, California. The genomic sequence of HEV identified in Germany was found to be genetically similar to the sample isolated from Los Angeles, California. They tested HEV obtained from urban rats in California and found it unable to infect rhesus monkeys, suggesting its very low potential to infect humans. - Another study conducted in 2011 conducted a broader search for zoonotic HEV in different regions. They discovered the presence of hepevirus RNA in 85 bat species out of 3,869 spread across five continents. Genome sequence analysis suggests high diversity compared to human HEV. Hepeviridae is the family of viruses that includes HEV. Human Hepatitis E VirusAccording to the World Health Organization, approximately 20 million HEV infections occur worldwide each year. Although it can be found in the four corners of..