Scientists Examine Swine As A Possible Cause For Hepatitis E In Europe

Scientists are pondering the fact that Hepatitis E virus infections which can be fatal in pregnant women, and which was recently thought to be confined to China, India and developing countries, has now arrived in Europe. The scientists were at the Society for General Microbiology's 161st Meeting at the University of Edinburgh, UK, which runs from Sept. 3-6, 2007.

Hepatitis E virus is one of the few viruses which has been shown to be transmitted directly from animals through food. It was recently thought to be confined to developing countries, and although scientists are still unsure exactly how it spreads to people, direct contact with pigs or eating contaminated pork products is a likely route.

“If this proves to be a relevant route for pig to human infection for Hepatitis E in Europe, food safety regulations might need to be adapted accordingly”, says Dutch researcher Erwin Duizer. “Where we do find Hepatitis E virus identified in Europe then the strain is usually closely related to the viruses found in pigs in the same country”.

Far fewer cases of Hepatitis E virus are reported than actually occur, since doctors currently rarely ask for the relevant diagnostic tests in many industrialized countries. Although they do not yet know the exact route for most infections, the scientists do know that these viruses can infect people if they eat infected pig’s livers without cooking them.