Canada reports world’s first case of rat-to-human hepatitis E infection outside Hong Kong
- Patient, a middle-aged Canadian man, had previously been to Africa
- HKU experts say latest infection highlights that even healthy adults can catch the rodent-borne disease
A case of rat-to-human hepatitis E infection has been documented in Canada, the first to be reported outside Hong Kong.
The case, concerning a middle-aged Canadian man who had visited Africa, highlighted that even healthy adults could be at risk of catching the rodent-borne disease, said Professor Yuen Kwok-yung, the University of Hong Kong’s top infectious diseases expert.
Yuen’s team revealed the world’s first two rat-to-human infections in Hong Kong last year. Both patients had weak immune systems, and one of them lived on a public housing estate with a rat problem.
The Canadian patient, who was otherwise healthy, was found to be carrying a strain of the hepatitis E virus that was “genetically distinct” from that discovered in the first Hong Kong patient.
“[The case shows that] even if you are healthy, with no immunosuppression, you can be very sick after having a rat hepatitis E infection,” said Yuen, who was not involved in the case in Canada.