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Updated: Jul 15, 2026

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"Liver-on-a-Chip" Cultures of Primary Hepatocytes and Kupffer Cells for Hepatitis B Virus Infection
Published on: February 19, 2019
[Acute hepatitis E in Spain]
E Sanz1, V F Moreira, E Meroño
1Servicio de Gastroenterología, Hospital Ramón y Cajal, Madrid.
Summary
Hepatitis E virus (HEV) causes enterically transmitted hepatitis globally. HEV should be considered in hepatitis diagnoses, even without travel history to endemic areas.
Area of Science:
- Hepatology
- Virology
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a primary cause of non-A, non-B hepatitis, predominantly in developing nations.
- While most HEV cases outside endemic regions are imported, local transmission is occasionally observed.
Observation:
- Three patients with acute HEV hepatitis, identified by serum anti-HEV IgM, were studied.
- One patient had no reported travel history to HEV-endemic areas.
Findings:
- Acute HEV hepatitis can occur in individuals without a history of travel to endemic regions.
- Serum anti-HEV IgM is a key diagnostic marker for acute HEV infection.
Implications:
- HEV should be included in the differential diagnosis of acute non-A, non-B, non-C hepatitis.
- Clinicians should consider HEV even when patients do not recall exposure in endemic areas.
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