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Acute Hepatitis in Children Due to Rat Hepatitis E Virus

Javier Caballero-Gómez1, Sara Pereira2, Irene Rivero-Calle3

  • 1Unit of Infectious Diseases, Hospital Universitario Reina Sofía, Instituto Maimónides de Investigación Biomédica de Córdoba (IMIBIC), Universidad de Córdoba (UCO), Córdoba, Spain; Animal Health Department, Universidad de Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain; CIBERINFEC, ISCIII-CIBER de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.

The Journal of Pediatrics
|May 30, 2024
PubMed

Insights

Rat hepatitis E virus infection was identified in two children with acute hepatitis of unknown origin. This finding suggests rat hepatitis E virus should be considered in diagnosing pediatric acute hepatitis cases.

Area of Science:

  • Hepatology
  • Virology
  • Pediatric Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • Acute hepatitis in children presents diagnostic challenges.
  • The etiology of hepatitis in some pediatric cases remains unknown.
  • Rat hepatitis E virus (HEV) is an emerging zoonotic pathogen.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the potential role of rat hepatitis E virus in pediatric acute hepatitis of unknown origin.
  • To identify novel causes of hepatitis in children.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of pediatric patients presenting with acute hepatitis.
  • Diagnostic testing for various hepatitis viruses, including rat HEV.

Main Results:

  • Two out of eleven children with acute hepatitis of unknown origin were diagnosed with rat hepatitis E virus infection.
  • This represents a significant proportion of the undiagnosed cases.

Conclusions:

  • Rat hepatitis E virus infection is a potential cause of acute hepatitis in children.
  • Consideration of rat HEV in the differential diagnosis of pediatric acute hepatitis is warranted.

Keywords:
Public HealthRocahepeviruschildrenemergingzoonoses

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