Genotype Distribution and Sequence Variation of Hepatitis E Virus, Hong Kong

Abstract

Most acute cases of infection with hepatitis E virus (HEV) in Hong Kong were autochthonous, sporadic, and occurred in older adults. All except 1 isolate belonged to genotype 4; most were phylogenetically related to swine isolates. The epidemiology is similar to that in industrialized countries, where zoonosis is the major source of HEV infection in humans.

Keywords

• Zoonoses
• viruses
• hepatitis E virus
• HEV
• epidemiology
• genotype