The role of pork in human infections

摘要

Andrea I Estevez-Garcia DVM PhD and her international team present research on hepatitis E viruses as emerging pathogen in Latin America and developed countries.Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is transmitted by food and through contaminated water. There is no evidence of human HEV epidemics in developed countries, but serological and molecular evidences of HEV circulation in human and pig populations are increasing as well as HEV-RNA detection in pork products. These findings raise the question about the role of pork as a possible important source for human infections. This review addresses key aspects of HEV infection and transmission and points out the need for inexpensive, accurate and rapid detection tools for usage on food matrices, particularly if viral integrity and minimal infectious dose can be assessed, which appear critical to support the global health surveillance systems.