Virus and transmission
Hepatitis E is an inflammation of the liver (hepatitis) caused by the hepatitis E virus (HEV). The HEV is a so-called RNA virus, which belongs to the calicivirus family. The genetic material of the virus is encoded on the RNA.
There are 4 different RNA versions (genotypes) of the hepatitis E virus. Usually, one gets infected with the HEV fecal-orally. Fecal-oral means that a carrier of the virus excretes the virus (fecal) and the virus is now absorbed by the newly infected person through the mouth (oral).
This happens, for example, as a smear infection due to lack of hygiene but also via contaminated drinking water or contaminated food. Since a droplet infection cannot take place from person to person, it is therefore sufficient in vacation countries to carefully boil the tap water before consumption. In rare cases, transmission via blood and body fluids has been observed (parenteral transmission).
However, this is only possible in the so-called viral phase, when the virus is present in the blood of an infected person. Animals such as sheep, pigs, monkeys, rats and mice are sometimes considered to be the natural reservoir of this pathogen. In Asia, Central and North Africa, the Middle East and Mexico, there are partial hepatitis E epidemics, i.e. many new diseases that spread at the same time in a defined area.
Especially monsoon times are predestined for such epidemics due to their distribution via water. In Germany, HEV occurs only in isolated cases.While in 2006 only 51 cases were reported, half of which were imported from abroad, in 2009 there were about 100 cases already originating from domestic virus strains. After oral ingestion of the virus, it invades the cells of the body.
In this process, the virus docks with adhesive spikes, similar to small feet, on the cell and injects its genetic material into the host cell. The host cell incorporates the foreign DNA (in this case RNA) into its metabolism and now produces the viral proteins. Once the virus parts have been formed within the cell, the newly formed virus assembles and leaves the foreign cell, which is destroyed in the process. Viruses have no metabolism of their own and are therefore dependent on infiltrating foreign organisms to multiply.
