Title: An Outbreak of Hepatitis A Virus associated with a Multi-national Inner-city Nursery in Glasgow, Scotland

Hepatitis A virus (HAV) is a non-enveloped single-stranded positive sense RNA virus belonging to the Picornaviridae family. The main mode of transmission is faecal-oral, either via contaminated food products or inadequate hand hygiene. The incubation period of HAV ranges from 15-50 days. Infection with HAV in children less than five years is usually asymptomatic (80-85%), while adults can present with fever, myalgia, abdominal pain, hepatitis and jaundice (70-95%) [1]. Adults can present with fulminant hepatitis, albeit rarely, and this is associated with a high mortality, necessitating liver transplantation [2].
Source: Journal of Clinical Virology - Category: Virology Authors: Tags: Short Communication Source Type: research