This test should be regarded as "Research Use Only". This test has not been cleared or approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. It may not be covered by insurance and providers need to inform all patients of this prior to ordering.
Results should be interpreted in conjunction with clinical findings. Hepatitis E virues (HEV) causes an acute, usually self-limited infection. This small, nonenveloped virus is spread by the fecal-oral route. HEV is endemic in SE and Central Asia, with several outbreaks observed in the Middle East, northern and western parts of Africa, and Mexico. In developed countries, HEV infection occurs mainly in persons who have traveled to disease-endemic areas.