Hepatitis E is a disease caused by the hepatitis E virus (HEV), which affects the liver and can produce symptoms such as abdominal pain, anorexia, nausea, vomiting, and fever.
“In Tucumán we lack the tools to detect hepatitis E, and when there is serious suspicion of the disease, samples are sent to Buenos Aires,” he said at the beginning of his speech.
Along these lines, he added “With this development, we bring to Tucumán and the National Oceanic Service the possibility of diagnostics in our province.”
Regarding the kit being developed, he said: “What is unique about it is that it allows us to detect antibodies not only in humans, but also in animals, which is important because of the spread of disease in Argentina and much of South America. Hepatitis E virus, genotype 3 is characterized by its zoonotic transmission, that is, it is transmitted from an infected animal to humans through contact with an infected animal or consumption of products made from that animal.”
“Pigs are the primary host of this virus,” the researchers reported.
He explained that in Argentina, as in other countries where hepatitis E is not included on food labels, the disease remains uncontrolled.
However, he assured that the aim of the kit was to improve public health and was developed to enable rapid testing.
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