Hepatitis E virus infection in Latin America : a review

• Autores: Echevarría, J M; González, Jorge E.; Lewis-Ximenez, L L; Lopes Dos Santos, D R; Munné, María Silvina; Pinto, M A; Pujol, F H; Rodríguez-Lay, L A
• Año de publicación: 2013
• Idioma: inglés
• Tipo de recurso: artículo
• Fuente: Journal of Medical Virology 2013; 85(6):1037-1045
• Materia: Enfermedad Aguda; Animales; Enfermedad Crónica; Genotipo; Hepatitis E; Virus de la Hepatitis E; Humanos; América Latina; ARN Viral; Genoma Viral
• Institución: Administración Nacional de Laboratorios e Institutos de Salud "Dr. Carlos G. Malbrán"

Fil: Echevarría, J M. Instituto de Salud Carlos III. Centro Nacional de Microbiología. Departmento de Virología; España.
Fil: González, Jorge E. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas; Argentina.
Fil: Lewis-Ximenez, L L. Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz; Brasil.
Fil: Lopes Dos Santos, D R. Rural Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. Institute of Veterinary; Brasil.
Fil: Munné, María Silvina. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas; Argentina.
Fil: Pinto, M A. Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz; Brasil.
Fil: Pujol, F H. Venezuelan Institute of Scientific Research; Venezuela.
Fil: Rodríguez-Lay, L A. Institute of Tropical Medicine Pedro Kourí; Cuba.
Data reported during recent years reveal the complex picture of the epidemiology of hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection in Latin America. Whereas in countries like Argentina and Brazil is almost identical to the characteristic of most countries from North America and Europe, HEV in the Caribbean and Mexico involves the water-borne, non-zoonotic viral genotypes responsible for epidemics in Asia and Africa. Nevertheless, Latin America has been considered a highly endemic region for hepatitis E in the scientific literature, a generalization that ignores the above complexity. In addition, reports from isolated Amerindian communities, which display well known, important and very specific epidemiological features for hepatitis B and D virus infections are neither taken into account when considering the epidemiology of hepatitis E in the region. This review updates compilation of the available information for the HEV infection, both among humans and other mammals, in Latin America, discusses the strengths and the weaknesses of our current knowledge, and identifies future areas of research.