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BACKGROUND & AIMS: Fulminant hepatitis is a rare outcome of infection with hepatitis E virus. Several recent reports suggest that virus variation is an important determinant of disease progression. To critically examine the evidence that virus-specific factors underlie the development of fulminant hepatitis following hepatitis E virus infection. METHODS: Published sequence information of hepatitis E virus isolates from patients with and without fulminant hepatitis was collected and analysed using statistical tests to identify associations between virus polymorphisms and disease outcome. RESULTS: Fulminant hepatitis has been reported following infection with all four hepatitis E virus genotypes that infect humans comprising multiple phylogenetic lineages within genotypes 1, 3 and 4. Analysis of virus sequences from individuals infected by a common source did not detect any common substitutions associated with progression to fulminant hepatitis. Re-analysis of previously reported associations between virus substitutions and fulminant hepatitis suggests that these were probably the result of sampling biases. CONCLUSIONS: Host-specific factors rather than virus genotype, variants or specific substitutions appear to be responsible for the development of fulminant hepatitis.

Original publication

DOI

10.1111/liv.12629

Type

Journal article

Journal

Liver Int

Publication Date

04/2015

Volume

35

Pages

1334 - 1340

Keywords

fulminant, hepatitis E virus, liver failure, virus variation, Genotype, Hepatitis E, Hepatitis E virus, Host-Pathogen Interactions, Humans, Phenotype, Polymorphism, Genetic, Prognosis, Risk Factors