Hepatitis A virus (HAV) is a member of the Hepatovirus genus of Picornaviridae family. HAV is a non-enveloped (naked), linear, single stranded RNA virus of an icosahedral symmetry measuring 27-32 nm in diameter (Feinstone, 1973). The infectious particle consists of capsid protein and RNA genome (Fig. 1). The buoyant density of the mature particle is 1.33g/cm3 in CsCl solutions and the sedimenta...

BACKGROUND Concomitant bacterial and viral infection is a well-known phenomenon, however only very rarely has a bacterial infection been reported during hepatitis A virus infection. OBJECTIVE To evaluate retrospectively the clinical records of children hospitalized with HAV infection for a concomitant infection proved or presumed to be bacterial. METHOD A retrospective study was conducted o...

Duck Hepatitis A Virus (DHAV) belongs to the Avihepatovirus, which is also classified into Picornaviridae with Hepatovirus, Hepatitis A Virus (HAV). In humans, the pathogenesis of HAV is not well understood because of limited work with animal models. Here, we investigated the progress of duck viral hepatitis caused by DHAV and their potential for dissecting the pathogenesis of HAV. During the c...

Hepatitis A virus (HAV) infects ∼1.4 million people annually and, although there is a vaccine, there are no licensed therapeutic drugs. HAV is unusually stable (making disinfection problematic) and little is known of how it enters cells and releases its RNA. Here we report a potent HAV-specific monoclonal antibody, R10, which neutralizes HAV infection by blocking attachment to the host cell. Hi...

The consequences of a hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection on cell-based antiviral responses and the interactions between virus and host cells resulting in persistent infections are poorly understood. In this report, we show that HAV does inhibit double-stranded (dsRNA)-induced beta interferon (IFN-beta) gene expression by influencing the IFN-beta enhanceosome, as well as dsRNA-induced apoptosis, ...

The serum sample and serial stool specimens of an adult patient suffering from Hepatitis A were tested for serological markers of acute hepatitis by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique and presence of hepatitis A virus (HAV) by various methods namely, solid phase radioimmunoassay (SPRIA) and molecular hybridisation utilizating c DNA recombinant technique. In addition stools from...

The History of HAV Earliest descriptions of epidemic liver disease, most likely due to hepatitis A virus (HAV), can be found in ancient Chinese literature, and similar observations, often in association with conflict and social disruption, have appeared on many occasions. However, evidence that the infection was of viral etiology was not obtained until human volunteer experiments were conducted...

A retrospective study on the prevalence of hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection was conducted in selected populations in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. A total of 1,115 subjects were tested including 146 patients with acute Non-A Non-B Non-C (NANBNC) viral hepatitis, 65 hemodialysis patients, 93 blood donors, 102 intravenous drug users (IVDUs), 304 pregnant women, 145 individuals living in the rural area...

BACKGROUND Despite the development and availability of hepatitis A virus (HAV) vaccine, HAV infection is still a major cause of acute hepatitis that occasionally leads to fatal liver disease. HAV internal ribosomal entry-site (IRES) is one of the attractive targets of antiviral agents against HAV. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the impact of La, one of the cellular proteins, on HAV...

BACKGROUND/AIMS The incidence of symptomatic hepatitis A reportedly increased among 20- to 40-year-old Korean during the late 2000s. Vaccination against hepatitis A was commenced in the late 1990s and was extended to children aged <10 years. In the present study we analyzed the changes in the seroprevalence of IgG anti-hepatitis A virus (HAV) over the past 13 years. METHODS Overall, 4903 subj...