<p class="rtejustify">A Hong Kong man has developed the world’s first ever human case of the rat version of the hepatitis E virus, according to new research from one of the city’s leading universities.</p>.<p class="rtejustify">There had previously been no evidence the disease could jump from rats to humans, the University of Hong Kong said Friday, warning the discovery had “major public health significance”. </p>.<p class="rtejustify">“This study conclusively proves for the first time in the world that rat HEV can infect humans to cause clinical infection,” the university added. Rat hepatitis E virus is very distantly related to human hepatitis E virus variants, HKU said. </p>.<p class="rtejustify">The disease was found in a 56-year-old man who persistently produced abnormal liver function tests following a liver transplant. He could have contracted the illness through food infected by rat droppings, researchers said, according to details of the findings reported in the <span class="italic">South China Morning Post</span>.</p>.<p class="rtejustify">The man lived in a housing estate where there were signs of rat infestation outside his home. He is now recovering after being treated for the virus, the SCMP added. The human version of hepatitis E is a liver disease that affects 20 million people globally each year, according to the World Health Organisation.</p>
<p class="rtejustify">A Hong Kong man has developed the world’s first ever human case of the rat version of the hepatitis E virus, according to new research from one of the city’s leading universities.</p>.<p class="rtejustify">There had previously been no evidence the disease could jump from rats to humans, the University of Hong Kong said Friday, warning the discovery had “major public health significance”. </p>.<p class="rtejustify">“This study conclusively proves for the first time in the world that rat HEV can infect humans to cause clinical infection,” the university added. Rat hepatitis E virus is very distantly related to human hepatitis E virus variants, HKU said. </p>.<p class="rtejustify">The disease was found in a 56-year-old man who persistently produced abnormal liver function tests following a liver transplant. He could have contracted the illness through food infected by rat droppings, researchers said, according to details of the findings reported in the <span class="italic">South China Morning Post</span>.</p>.<p class="rtejustify">The man lived in a housing estate where there were signs of rat infestation outside his home. He is now recovering after being treated for the virus, the SCMP added. The human version of hepatitis E is a liver disease that affects 20 million people globally each year, according to the World Health Organisation.</p>