Acute hepatitis E of a man who consumed wild boar meat prior to the onset of illness in Nagasaki, Japan

Abstract

Zoonotic infection of hepatitis E virus (HEV) has been suggested. To date, pigs, deer, and wild boar have been implicated as reservoirs of HEV in Japan. However, it is not known to what extent zoonotic transmission of HEV play roles of causing HEV transmission. In the present report, we describe a case of acute hepatitis E in which a transmission of HEV by a zoonotic transmission is strongly suggested. The patient had eaten grilled wild boar meat 59 days prior to onset of acute hepatitis. Although the meat was not stored, one of the two people who ate boar meat with the patient at the same time showed high levels of HEV-IgM and -IgG and normal levels of liver enzymes, suggesting a subclinical infection of HEV. Accumulating evidence suggests that eating wild boars is associated with a high risk of acquiring hepatitis E infection.