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The first known case of a human being infected with a version of the hepatitis E virus carried by rats was confirmed Thursday in Hong Kong.
According to researchers from the University of Hong Kong (HKU), the way the patient contracted rat hepatitis E, a distinct form of the virus that was previously isolated from rodents, remains unclear.
The patient, a 56-year-old man, contracted a "very divergent" hepatitis strain from other strains affecting humans, South China. Morning Post reports. The man lives in a subdivision that had "evidence of infestation of rats in garbage cans," according to HKU researchers.
"We postulate that contamination of food by infected rat feces in the food supply is possible," the researchers said. They also acknowledged that the method of transmitting the virus was still unconfirmed.
According to the World Health Organization, about 20 million people are infected with hepatitis E each year. The virus is an infection of the liver that can cause fever, abdominal pain and jaundice. In rare cases, it can also cause liver failure and death. In most cases, the virus is transmitted through contaminated water.
Previously, there was no evidence that rat hepatitis E, a variant of the virus affecting mammals, was transmissible to humans.
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