The first case of humans suffering from rat disease has been found in a man living in Hong Kong. It is the rat version of hepatitis E virus. The research has been gathered from a leading university in Hong Kong.
The University of Hong Kong revealed on Friday that there was no evidence previously that this disease could switch from rats to humans. According to the study, this was for the first time in the world that the HEV virus infected a human and caused clinical infection.
It was diagnosed in a man of 56 years of age who quite often complained of an abnormal liver after a liver transplant.
Though the cause of the disease is uncertain, some of the guesses are that it could have entered the body through food infected by rat droppings.
The residence in which the man stayed was known for rat infestation from the complaints received by the residents. He is now, however, on the path to recovery.
Hepatitis E virus in humans triggers through a liver disease and is very common worldwide with about 20 million people reporting it. Contaminated drinking water is one of the known causes of this disease and some of its symptoms include vomitting, jaundice, fever, and very few cases of liver failures.