Prophylaxis against hepatitis E: at risk populations and human vaccines

ABSTRACT

Hepatitis E is an emerging global disease caused by hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection. While in developing countries the infection was primarily due to poor sanitary conditions through intake of contaminated water or undercooked meats of infected animals, increasing cases of chronic hepatitis E resulting in rapidly progressive liver cirrhosis and end-stage liver disease have been reported in organ transplant patients or in immune compromised patients in developed countries. Fortunately, hepatitis E is now a vaccine preventable disease with a HEV239 based vaccine licensed for human use. Much work is needed to enable its use outside China. This review recounted the development process of the vaccine, outlined the critical quality attributes of the vaccine antigen and, most importantly, listed the populations at risk for HEV infection and the subsequent disease. These at risk populations could benefit the most from the vaccination if the vaccine is widely adopted.

KEYWORDS:

• Hepatitis E virus
• prophylactic vaccine
• antigenic determinants
• neutralizing epitopes
• critical product attributes
• capsid protein
• vaccination

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The authors acknowledge funding support from the Chinese government Major Innovative Drug R&D Program (2013ZX09101017) and President’s funding for young scientists of Xiamen University (2012121015 and 20720150137). The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.