It is known that rats are carriers of the pathogen, but scientists do not have a clear idea of how the disease is transmitted from rodents to humans. Experts cannot yet even establish the real incidence. The first results obtained by scientists indicate that more than a hundred cases are recorded annually in Spain alone.
“We are faced with an unknown new disease. We have several lines of research that provide us with data on its prevalence, its true extent, its clinical forms. But there is a lot of work ahead of us,” said infection expert Antonio Rivero Juarez.
As noted, the results of recent studies were presented at the congress of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, which was held in Barcelona. As a result, the group for the study of viral hepatitis of the scientific society allocated a grant of 30 thousand euros for research. Scientists intend to study data from hospitals not only in Spain, but also in the UK, Sweden, Italy, Hungary, Romania and Turkey to find out what the incidence is in these countries.
Hepatitis is part of a group of viral infections that cause inflammation of the liver. The most important of these have been named A through E. Hepatitis B, C and D tend to develop into chronic and more severe forms with significant mortality (although there is effective treatment for hepatitis C). As for hepatitis A and E, experts consider them to be milder. They can cause acute symptoms, but usually resolve on their own and the immune system can overcome them within a few weeks, except in people with weakened immune systems.
Hepatitis E was first discovered in Germany in 2010. Initially, it was believed that humans could not become infected with this virus. That changed in 2018, when researchers in Hong Kong identified the first case of the disease in a liver transplant patient. Then several more similar diagnoses were made. As a result, other countries became interested in the issue. In Spain, research began in 2022. And having identified dozens of cases, scientists began to wonder how the pathogen is transmitted from rats to people. There are two versions: through contaminated products or through an intermediary animal.