US researchers have gained grants worth $3m over four years to study the hepatitis E virus (HEV). The aim of the project is to develop a vaccine that can protect people and animals from the disease. 
Researchers discover that pigs and humans can infect each other with hepatitis E virus
Photo: Jill Smith
HEV is an important human pathogen, but research at the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine recently identified two HEV-related animal viruses, one in pigs and another in chickens. They have since demonstrated that swine HEV can infect humans, and that human HEV can infect pigs. There is currently no vaccine to prevent hepatitis E.
The discovery of the two animal viruses has led to the development of a pig and a chicken model to study HEV. Scientists previously used non-human primates as a model, making research expensive, and giving rise to some ethical concerns.
The grants will enable the researchers to investigate the molecular mechanisms of HEV replication and pathogenesis. They will study how the virus causes hepatitis, which genes are responsible for virulence, and the mechanisms for cross-species infection. They will also consider how the virus could be attenuated to develop a vaccine.
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