First report of acute autochthonous hepatitis E in Portugal

Vitor Duque,António Meliço-Silvestre,Diana Seixas,Conceição Ventura,Saraiva Da Cunha

doi:10.3855/jidc.2078

Vitor Duque, António Meliço-Silvestre + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3855/jidc.2078

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Abstract

Hepatitis E infection is usually a self-limiting disease. In industrialized countries, sporadic cases of acute hepatitis E virus (HEV) infections have been described; their number seems to be increasing in European countries. We report the first human case of autochthonous acute hepatitis E confirmed in Portugal. Patients with acute non-A-C hepatitis should be tested for HEV in Portugal and hepatitis E infection should be considered in the differential diagnosis of unexplained hepatitis cases.

Highlights

Autochthonous, sporadic cases of hepatitis E have been reported in various countries from Europe and North America, including the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Greece, Hungary, Germany, Austria, Poland, and in various regions from the USA
Have been reported in various countries from Europe and North America, including the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Greece, Hungary, Germany, Austria, Poland, and in various regions from the USA. Most of these human cases are due to hepatitis E virus (HEV) genotype 3 which is common in swine livestock and is considered a zoonosis of porcine origin
Anti-hepatitis E virus IgM and IgG were positive in ELISA (HEV IgM ELISA 3.0 and HEV ELISA, MP Biomedicals, Singapore) in a blood sample taken 10 days after the start of the clinical manifestations

Summary

Introduction

Autochthonous, sporadic cases of hepatitis E have been reported in various countries from Europe and North America, including the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Greece, Hungary, Germany, Austria, Poland, and in various regions from the USA. Case report In November 2010, a 65-year-old male patient was referred to our hospital and admitted to the infectious disease service on 16 November 2010, with a provisional diagnosis of acute hepatitis. The peak of liver enzymes was observed on the tenth day after the start of the clinical manifestations and returned to normal values on day 25.

Results

Conclusion