Evolutionary Origins of Enteric Hepatitis Viruses
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Updated: Feb 12, 2026

A Protocol for Analyzing Hepatitis C Virus Replication
Published on: June 26, 2014
Anna-Lena Sander1,2, Victor Max Corman1,2, Alexander N Lukashev3,4
1Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Institute of Virology, Berlin 10117, Germany.
Abstract:
The enterically transmitted hepatitis A (HAV) and hepatitis E viruses (HEV) are the leading causes of acute viral hepatitis in humans. Despite the discovery of HAV and HEV 40-50 years ago, their evolutionary origins remain unclear. Recent discoveries of numerous nonprimate hepatoviruses and hepeviruses allow revisiting the evolutionary history of these viruses. In this review, we provide detailed phylogenomic analyses of primate and nonprimate hepatoviruses and hepeviruses. We identify conserved and divergent genomic properties and corroborate historical interspecies transmissions by phylogenetic comparisons and recombination analyses. We discuss the likely non-recent origins of human HAV and HEV precursors carried by mammals other than primates, and detail current zoonotic HEV infections. The novel nonprimate hepatoviruses and hepeviruses offer exciting new possibilities for future research focusing on host range and the unique biological properties of HAV and HEV.
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