Hepatitis E is a viral
hepatitis (liver inflammation) caused by
infection with a
virus called
hepatitis E virus (
HEV). It is one of five known human
hepatitis viruses:
A,
B,
C,
D, and E. HEV is a positive-sense single-stranded non-enveloped RNA icosahedral virus with a 7.5
kilobase genome. HEV has a fecal-oral transmission route. Infection with this virus was first documented in 1955 during an outbreak in
New Delhi, India. A preventative vaccine (HEV 239) is approved for use in China.