A case of acute hepatitis E in Victoria

OBJECTIVE: To report a case of acute hepatitis E in Victoria, confirmed by laboratory investigations. CLINICAL FEATURES: A 10-year-old boy presented for medical attention with a seven-day history of anorexia and jaundice, 17 days after arriving from Pakistan. The diagnosis of acute hepatitis E was suspected after exclusion of the known causes of viral hepatitis, and was further established by specific antibody testing and identification of hepatitis E virus-like particles in a faecal sample collected three weeks after the onset of illness. INTERVENTION AND OUTCOME: The patient was managed at home, treated symptomatically and made a complete recovery. CONCLUSION: In patients who arrive from countries where hepatitis E is endemic, and who develop non-A, non-B, non-C viral hepatitis, hepatitis E should be considered as a possible diagnosis.